Flowers Collection
by harukakanata
Summary: One-shot collection. NON-YAOIYURI. Roses, tulips, wildflowers, daisies, daffodils...All add to a relationship. Watch how flowers can affect the feelings of a heart.
1. Red Roses

**Author's Note: **Well, hi everyone! This fic is just a collection of one-shots of different pairings. It was inspired by fics like "The Painted Wolf" by **Goldberry**, and "Day to Day" by **IHearVoices**. Except mine has a little twist: I will try to do every pairings reviewers suggest! For example, if someone wanted me to do a Naruto+Hinata chapter, I will do it. Then the next day, if anyone wants me to do a Sasuke+Sakura fic, I will do it. Even though I'm NOT a fan of Neji+anybody except TenTen, Sasuke+anybody except Sakura, and Naruto+anybody except Hinata, if someone really wants me to do, for example, Neji+Sakura, I will do it. But NO SHOUNEN-AI OR SHOUJO-AI! I will NOT do those! I can also do friendship chapters, like a Sakura+Ino FRIENDSHIP chapter. These are some possible pairings that I could do FOR SURE:

Neji+TenTen

Sasuke+Sakura

Naruto+Hinata

Shikamaru+Ino or Temari

I can also do team chapters, like a Neji+TenTen+Lee friendship team chapter. Also, I will be naming each chapter after a flower. Most chapters will have something to do with flowers.

Anyways, I'll start off with a light Neji+TenTen chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Nope, I don't own a thing!

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**Red Roses**

Neji patiently stood in front of TenTen's door, waiting for her to answer. He rang the doorbell once more. Finally, TenTen opened the door. She looked at Neji curiously.

"Huh? Neji, what are you doing here?" she asked. Her hair wasn't in their usual buns, and so her chestnut-brown hair fell over her shoulders in slight waves.

"…We were going to train today, remember?" Neji replied calmly, his pale-lavender eyes resting upon the sight of TenTen's face.

"Oh yeah! Sorry, I forgot, Neji. Hold on a second, I'll go change into my training clothes." she exclaimed, and ran back inside of her apartment room. Suddenly, she came running back towards Neji.

"Um, Neji, you can come in if you want! I won't take long!" she said hurriedly, and ran to her bedroom. Neji stepped inside of the slightly small apartment room. As he closed the door, he spotted a painted picture of a red rose. The blood-red petals seemed almost real as Neji studied the picture. _'She probably painted it herself…' _Neji thought, looking at the cluttered mess around the canvas. Red and green paint bottles, a few other colors, a few dirty brushes, and a smudged red stain on the carpeted floor. The stain looked as if someone was trying to scrub it off hastily. Neji smirked when he saw the stain. His attention went back to the red rose. The petals were perfect, and the stem was beautifully painted with green and a tint of brown. The thorns were carefully done, with lots of detail. The background looked like raging flames fading off into the air. Neji absentmindedly picked up a paintbrush from the floor. The wood was smooth and polished, with a paint-covered bristle. He looked at the rose once more. _'The rose is just so like TenTen…Beautiful and delicate on the outside, like he red petals and the green leaves…but fierce and dangerous on the inside, like the thorns.' _Neji thought with a little smirk on his face. He bent down to pick up another brush. This one was a bit more rough and old-looking, as if it had been used for a long time. The bristles were a bit worn-out and Neji could see a little crack beginning to form on the wood. Soon, he was picking up every brush from the floor, each one having different qualities. There were very fine ones, well-polished ones, and sleek ones, but for some reason, Neji liked the old, worn-out one the best. He didn't know why. _'For some reason…I like it simple.' _he thought, running his fingers over the wood. His eyes scanned over the other items on the floor. A half-empty red paint bottle, an almost-full green bottle, and a few other small bottles with different colors in them were lying on the floor, looking almost discarded. He began picking the bottles up and neatly set them on the table nearby. _'Red…the color of blood…the color of roses…the first color of the rainbow…the color of humans' hearts…the color of strawberries…and…the color of TenTen's spirit.' _he thought as he stared at the red paint bottle. He was neatly piling them up, until TenTen entered the room.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," she said calmly as she strode over to Neji. Neji smirked.

"I just wanted to." he replied, looking at her with emotionless eyes. TenTen frowned slightly.

"I could have cleaned it up myself." she pointed out, lifting the canvas and setting it by the wall. She glared silently at the red stain on the carpet. "Stupid paint…" she muttered as she hung up the painting on the wall to dry. She turned towards Neji. "Shall we go, then?" Neji nodded. They walked out of the apartment towards their usual training spot.

On their way to their training area, they passed a garden of flowers. TenTen stopped walking to look at them. Neji smirked.

"I never knew you were the type of girl to like flowers," he commented dryly. TenTen scowled at him.

"Shut up," she growled, and her expression softened as she scanned over the many tulips, daffodils, carnations, and many other flowers. "They just…fascinate me, that's all…" she muttered.

"Oh? And why do they fascinate you?" Neji asked, a hint of arrogance in his voice.

"You're strangely talkative today," she snapped, shooting him a glare. "So what if I like flowers? I don't like flowers because they're pretty. I like them because I keep wondering how they survive for this long without being wilted…" but she frowned as Neji bent over the garden without a word. "Hey, are you listening, Hyuuga Neji?" she demanded, her temper flaring up at the fact that Neji had completely ignored her. But she was stopped when she suddenly felt a gentle caress on her cheek. A light blush came onto her cheeks as Neji's hand drew away from her. "W…What…" she spluttered, trying hard not to blush. Neji silenced her with his finger. He took out a small mirror from his pouch and gave it to TenTen.

"Look." he said. As TenTen peered in the mirror, she gasped. Set into one of her buns was a single red rose. The rose was beautiful, with perfect red petals and a single glossy green leaf attached to it.

"Neji…" she whispered, looking at the reflection of the rose set into her hair in the mirror. Neji smirked, and lightly brushed his lips against hers.

"You like flowers, right? Well then, red roses suit you." he said, and walked off. TenTen stood there in a daze, the gentle, innocent kiss replaying itself over and over in her mind. A small smile and a faint blush formed on her face. She caught up with Neji with a bright smile. They walked together, hand in hand, to their training area.

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Well, how was it? Sorry if it sucked! And sorry if it was too short, but I don't have much time right now! Remember, VOTE FOR ANY PAIR YOU WISH EXCEPT FOR SHOUNEN-AI/SHOUJO-AI! But PLEASE don't be mad if can't or don't do your pairings! After all, I can't do all the pairings at once. Also, I accept votes for friendship chapters and team chapters. And don't forget that each chapter is going to have something to do with a flower! PLEASE REVIEW! 


	2. Cherry Blossom Petals, Primroses, and Az...

**Author's Note: **HOLY COW! SO many people voted for Neji+Tenten! But I also wanted to do Sasuke+Sakura, too…So, there's going to be two stories in one chapter. If you don't know what I mean, read on and you'll see. If you DO know what I mean, then…keep reading!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own ANYTHING, so…why am I writing this pointless disclaimer?

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**Cherry Blossom Petals**

Sasuke was walking along the busy streets of Konoha. It was a warm spring day, and the mood was bright and cheery. Though most people were enjoying and taking advantage of the nice weather, Sasuke was heading to the forests to train. _'I don't have time to enjoy the day…I must get stronger so that I can beat Itachi. Naruto is getting stronger everyday…Why can't I get stronger?' _he thought, a frown forming on his usually emotionless face. He jumped up into the air and landed on a rooftop. The sky was clear and blue above him, and a few white clouds could be seen in the distance. _'The busy streets will just slow me down.' _he thought as he scowled down at the bustling streets full of laughing and smiling people. He leaped from house to house, making his way to the forest.

Once he was away from all the noise and crowds, and jumped down from a rooftop and began walking. Now he was in the more peaceful part of the village, near the Konoha gates and the forest. As he walked, he spotted a few cherry blossom trees near the pathways. Their pink-colored petals floated down gracefully in the air as a light breeze blew against the trees. Watching the pink petals made Sasuke reflect on his pink-haired teammate, Haruno Sakura. _'Sakura…She's been training with the Godaime hokage lately, right? She's definitely grown stronger…Kakashi said that she'll be a great kunoichi someday…' _he thought, and an image of a smiling, happy Sakura came into his mind. He quickly shook his head, and strode faster along the path. Soon, the pathway led to a grassy field. Past the field was the forest, his favorite place to train. His sandaled feet soundlessly moved across the emerald-green grass. Looking at the grass made him think about Sakura again. _'The grass is green…like Sakura's eyes…' _he thought, and the image of Sakura's green, sparkling eyes came into his mind. He growled, trying to push the thoughts and images out of his head. "I have no time for this!" he muttered, and averted his gaze off the grass. Soon, he was staring at the cherry blossom trees again. Now he was in the middle of the field, where many cherry blossom trees grew. As he walked past the trees, he saw a figure standing below the shade of a large cherry blossom tree. He realized who it was. _'Sakura…' _he thought. _'What's she doing there?' _Sakura was staring at the cherry blossom tree absentmindedly, as if she was thinking. Before he could stop himself, Sasuke had approached Sakura. "Hey," he said with an emotionless look on his face. Inside his mind, he was raging with frustration. _'Dammit, Sasuke! Why did you have to approach her!' _he thought angrily. Sakura immediately turned around. A gentle, innocent smile came onto her face.

"Sasuke-kun! Hi!" she greeted, her green eyes sparkling as usual. She glanced at the cherry blossom tree, and then towards Sasuke. "Um…what are you doing here? Weren't you going to train?" she asked. Sasuke stiffened a little.

"Y…Yeah. I…just happened to stop by." he replied, and mentally cursed himself. _'Oh great, Sasuke! What a lame excuse!' _he thought, and clenched his fists. Sakura looked a bit worried at Sasuke's actions.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" she asked timidly, as if afraid that he was going to snap at her any moment. Sasuke regained his position quickly and nodded. Sakura smiled with relief. "That's good…" she said, and a cool breeze blew her back-length pink hair to the side. Sasuke found himself staring at Sakura. _'Why…Why does she care for me so much? It's not like I did anything to deserve her kindness…Why?' _he thought. He had always been clueless at Sakura's actions. When she had cried for him when they were facing Zabuza and Haku when they were still genins, he had been a bit surprised. During the chuunin exam 4 years ago, she had protected him and Naruto with all her strength, and had tried to stop him when he was being corrupted by the curse seal Orochimaru had given him. She had always been there for him, no matter how many times he ignored her, shunned her, and rejected her. And still, even as a jounin-rank shinobi, he still didn't know the answer. "…why…" he whispered, and Sakura looked at him curiously. "Why do you care for me so much? All I ever did was ignore you…" Sakura looked a bit startled at the question, but soon her surprise was replaced with a warm, friendly smile.

"You already know the answer, Sasuke-kun…I told you many, many times, as a genin, as a chuunin, and even now, as a medic-nin. I care for you because I like you, Sasuke-kun…no, I think I love you. It started off as a childhood crush, but now, it's something stronger. Because of this strong feeling, I cared for you and I protected you, even though you always rejected me, and ignored me. I still love you, Sasuke-kun…That feeling will never change." she said softly, and another breeze sent the cherry blossom petals floating to the ground. Sasuke slowly reached up, and caressed Sakura's smooth cheek with his hand.

'_I still don't understand, and I probably never will, but…I appreciate your feelings, Sakura…' _he thought, and a small, faint smile formed on his lips.

"…Thank you, Sakura…" he said, and the cherry blossom petals circled and floated around them, gently landing on the soft green grass.

(**Author's Note: **Sasuke and Sakura are around 16 years old here.)

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**Primroses and Azaleas**

The sky rumbled with dark clouds and thunder. Trees swayed dangerously by the force of the strong, chilling wind. In a dark forest clearing, the sounds of weapons clashing and the sounds of shinobi fighting rang through the area. Konoha ANBU members Neji and TenTen were facing a group of shinobi from the hidden Cloud village of the Thunder country. Weapons shot through the air and pierced the shinobi and powerful jyuuken strikes blocked the tenketsu of many ninjas. Neji and TenTen stood in the middle, panting heavily with the affects of a 5-hour-long battle. "Neji…we should finish this quickly before our chakra is completely depleted." TenTen said, frowning at the 4 shinobi that were still alive. Neji nodded. The two Konoha ninjas charged, and the other four Cloud ninjas also charged. TenTen threw many weapons and then pulled out a long, slightly curved sword. She slashed at one of the ninjas, and she successfully managed to slice off the enemy's right arm. She detected a ninja coming at her from behind, but she countered him with a swift kick to the stomach. After catching the ninja off guard by her kick, she plunged her sword deep into his heart. As soon as she pulled the sword out of the ninja's limp body, two other ninjas charged at her. But they were also stopped by Neji's strike to their hearts. TenTen turned to the one-armed ninja, but found that he had disappeared.

"Don't let your guard down, TenTen." Neji warned, and prepared to strike any moment. TenTen gritted her teeth and got into a defensive stance. Suddenly, a flurry of kunai and shuriken flew towards them from a tree. TenTen ducked just in time as a kunai sped over her head, but it managed to cut her ribbons that were supporting her buns. The sliced red ribbons dropped to the ground, letting her hair loose.

"Damn!" she muttered, and as another flurry of weapons came, she crouched down beside Neji.

"Hakkeshou kaiten!" he said, and as he spun, the dome-like defense made of chakra appeared. TenTen was crouching inside of the defense as all the weapons were flung back. After all the weapons had been flung back, TenTen got ready to play her role. Her role was to protect Neji's blind spot after he had lowered the guard of the kaiten to stop spinning. Though it was only for a little moment, Neji was very vulnerable when he was finishing the spin. A strong wind whipped TenTen's chestnut-brown hair into her face, blocking her view as she stood in front of Neji's blind spot. She shook her hair away impatiently as she got a kunai ready. _'Damn hair…Always getting in my way…' _she thought. That reason was why she tied her hair into buns. But even her two buns got in the way sometimes. _'I'll try a single bun next time…with stronger ribbons.' _she thought again, eyeing the severed ribbons on the ground near her feet. Just then, a powerful force caused TenTen to be blown back against a nearby tree, knocking the wind out of her. She struggled to get up, a look of confusion on her face.

"W…What happened?" she groaned, and standing up. She cursed under her breath as she realized that her ankle was broken or sprained.

"TenTen! Watch out!" Neji suddenly yelled. Before TenTen knew what was happening, the one-armed ninja had landed behind her with a sharp dagger in his hand.

"You'll pay for cutting my arm off, you wench!" he growled, and raised the dagger. TenTen turned around with a shocked look on her face.

'_Darn it, I can't escape quickly enough!' _she thought, and shut her eyes, braced for the hit. Meanwhile, Neji was running towards TenTen at a fast speed.

'_Damn, I won't be able to save her in time! Then…this is the only way.' _he thought.

TenTen flinched as she suddenly felt drops of warm liquid on her face and on her arms. She opened her eyes. She gasped as saw Neji standing in front of her, with a dagger through his stomach. He gritted his teeth with pain, and spat out a bit of blood. Blood oozed from his stomach, dripping onto the grassy ground below them. The clouds rumbled even more in the sky, and soon, it was raining. Lightning flashed momentarily, lightening up the view for a short while.

"N…Neji…" TenTen whispered, trembling as she stared at the wound on Neji's stomach.

"TenTen…Hurry!" Neji growled, and TenTen instantly knew what he meant. She nodded, the cool rain running down her face. She pulled out her sword and with a swift motion she drove her sword into the enemy's heart. The ninja didn't even get to say a word as he fell to the ground, letting go of his dagger in the process. Soon after he had fallen, Neji also slumped to the ground. After sheathing her sword, TenTen ran towards the motionless Neji.

"Neji!" she exclaimed, and gently pulled the dagger out of his stomach. Blood flowed freely from the wound, staining the grass below him. Ignoring her injured ankle, she lifted Neji up and slung his arm over her shoulders so that she could support him. "Neji…I'm sorry…" she muttered. She glanced at his wound.

'_I should at least try to stop the bleeding for now…' _she thought. She found a temporary shelter inside a small cave near the area, and so she laid Neji down on the ground inside of the cave. She took out a small bottle of healing balm, and she tore off a strip of her shirt as a bandage. She applied some healing balm onto Neji's wound and wrapped the piece of her shirt around it. She looked outside. It was still raining. _'I've got to get back to Konoha as quickly as possible!' _she thought, and stood up. She immediately winced and sat back down as her broken ankle shot pain through her. _'Damn…' _She stood up again, but this time she put less weight onto her ankle. She lifted up Neji again and after putting his arm over her shoulders, and stepped out of the cave and into the forest.

**_1 day later…_**

Neji opened his eyes to see a white ceiling. _'Where am I?' _he thought, looking around. He grimaced as he felt a bit of pain on his stomach. He recalled the events that had happened. _'Yes…I got pierced in the stomach by that Cloud bastard instead of TenTen…I hope she's safe…' _He slowly sat up, and the first thing he saw was a vase of primroses and azaleas. He looked down, and smirked as he saw TenTen sitting by his bed, with a cast on her right ankle. She was asleep, with her arms used as a pillow and her hair untied. Neji gently brushed a single lock of hair from TenTen's face. He turned his attention to the vase of primroses and azaleas and his eyes softened.

"Thank you…TenTen." he said, and though he didn't notice it, TenTen smiled.

Primroses: Primroses mean "I can't live without you" Azaleas: Azaleas mean "Take care of yourself", otherwise meaning "please get better soon".

(**Author's Note: **Neji and TenTen are around 17 or 18 and they are in the ANBU.)

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Well, how was it? Sorry to those who wanted something else! After all, I can't do every single pairing! If you keep reading and keep reviewing, you may see your pairings! In the next chapter, I want a little challenge, so I might do Gaara+Ino, Kabuto+someone, or Shikamaru+Temari. I might even do Naruto+Hinata, since I have a pretty good idea for them. PLEASE REVIEW! And don't forget to tell me what pairing you would like next! 


	3. Bellflowers

**Author's Note: **Ooh, I got a lot of reviews again! Okay, I REALLY want to do Gaara+Ino, so…I'm going to do Gaara+Ino! **Millie-chan**, here's your Gaara+Ino chapter! Next, I'm planning to do Naruto+Hinata or Neji+Sakura as a challenge. Even Neji+TenTen will do, if many people want it. It's YOUR choice, people! I'll try to do as many pairings as I can! So, on with the fic!

**Disclaimer: **Nothing belongs to me…Not even the flowers, cuz they belong to Mother Nature! (Just kidding!)

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**Bellflowers**

Yamanaka Ino was standing by the counter of her family's flower shop. She was reading a magazine about flowers. "Great," she muttered. "Another boring day without customers…" She absentmindedly flipped the page that she was reading. On the page were meanings of flowers. _'A zinnia means friendship, eh? That's something that even I didn't know…Let's see…' _she thought, and scanned the shop. Finally, she spotted a pot of zinnias. Holding the magazine in her hand, she walked over to the zinnias.

"Whoops, I forgot to water them today!" she exclaimed, and headed back to the counter to grab a water pail. After sprinkling some water on the zinnias, she sighed. _'Sakura is dating Sasuke-kun, Neji and Tenten are together…What about ME? Don't I get a happy ending, too?' _she thought. She looked at the magazine page.

"Magenta zinnias mean lasting affection, a mixed bouquet of zinnias mean memories of absent friends, scarlet zinnias mean constancy, white zinnias mean goodness, and yellow zinnias mean daily remembrance…Gosh, I've got to remember these meanings!" she mumbled, and looked back at the pot of zinnias before walking to the counter. She sat down and sighed again. _'Man, I feel a bit lonely…' _She turned the page. _'Bellflowers and verbenas? So, yellow lilies mean gratitude and verbenas mean may you get your wish…' _Outside the shop windows, Ino spotted a couple sitting together with the man's arms around the girl. The girl smiled and blushed as the man handed her a red rose. Ino sighed. _'I wish that I could be happy, too…' _she thought, smiling a little. Suddenly, the door swung open.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop!" Ino said brightly, hiding the depression on her face. But she was quite shocked when she saw who the customer was. "G…Gaara-san?" exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Gaara stepped into the shop with a calm face.

"Tomorrow is Temari's birthday…I would like to get a flower for her…" he replied, eyeing all of the flowers in the shop.

"Um…okay. So, what flower do you want?" Ino asked, a little bit uncomfortable.

"…I don't know." Gaara answered with his face still emotionless. Ino felt a bit of pity for him.

'_The poor guy, he probably doesn't even know what a rose means! Well, everyone said that Gaara-san is harmless now, so…I guess I'll lend a hand to him.' _she thought, and smiled.

"I'll help you. First of all, each flower has a different meaning, so you should choose a flower that has the correct meaning you want. What do you want to say to Temari-san?" she asked.

"…I want to say good luck to her. She's trying out for the jounin exam soon." he said after a moment. Ino nodded. She looked around.

"Oh yeah! How about an apple blossom flower? They mean 'good fortune'." she exclaimed, and headed towards the apple blossoms. While she was picking out some apple blossoms, Gaara noticed the magazine on the counter. He looked at the meaning for bellflowers.

'_Gratitude…as in thanks…' _he thought, and a pot of bellflowers nearby caught his attention. _'Bellflowers…' _Suddenly, Ino came up to him.

"I found them! Here!" she said breathlessly, some leaves stuck in her hair. She was holding a beautiful bouquet of apple blossoms. They were tied with a big purple ribbon at the end to hold them together. Gaara looked curiously at Ino, and then at the bouquet.

"…thank you." he muttered, and took the bouquet from Ino. Ino smiled warmly.

"If you ever need flowers, come back here, okay? Now, as for the money…" while Ino checked the price at the counter, Gaara looked at the pot of bellflowers again.

'_Gratitude…' _he thought. He then bent down and picked a small bouquet of bellflowers from the pot while Ino wasn't looking. After that, he headed towards her.

Meanwhile, Ino was searching for the price of a medium-sized bouquet of apple blossoms.

"Um…let's see…" she murmured, scanning through the list of prices. Suddenly, she smelled a sweet fragrance in front of her. She looked up, and the first thing she saw was a small bouquet of bellflowers. "Huh?" she exclaimed, but then she saw the usual emotionless face of Gaara.

"It's for you." he said calmly. His voice was calm, but Ino swore she saw some kind of emotion in Gaara's eyes.

"Uhh…for me?" she asked, just to make sure. Gaara nodded. Ino's confused face broke into a sweet smile. "Thanks!" she said happily, and Gaara wordlessly gave her the money for the bouquet of the apple blossoms. After he had left the shop, Ino sighed.

"I wonder what that was about…" she muttered, and looked at the bellflowers. "These flowers are from this shop, too…" She blinked.

'_Huh? Bellflowers? Why bellflowers? He could have given me a rose or a daisy…but why did he give me bellflowers?' _she thought, and realization dawned on her. She quickly ran towards her flower magazine, which was on the counter. _'Bellflowers…the flower of gratitude…So does that mean…Gaara-san was trying to say 'thank you'?' _Ino was kind of surprised, but she also felt somewhat glad or happy.

"For some reason…I feel better!" she said to herself, and smiled. _'Gaara-san…no, Gaara…thank you.'_

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So, how was it? Sorry if it sucks, but this is the first time I did Gaara+Ino! And sorry if it's too short! Well, I might do Naruto+Hinata next or I might do some other "unusual" pairings like Sasuke+Hinata or Neji+Sakura! Or, I might do pairings that I've never done before like Naruto+Sakura, Lee+Sakura, and Kiba+Hinata. Sorry, but NO ONE can be with TenTen except for NEJI! SoNO Lee+TenTen, Gaara+TenTen, or anyone+TenTen except Neji!

Oh yeah, and this chapter wasn't really romance-ish, was it? Well, I could never imagine Gaara+Ino in a "lovey-dovey" relationship, so I decided to do HINTS of Gaara+Ino or Gaara+Ino "friendship" kind of thing. If you really wanted romance, perhaps another time I'll do some. By the way, I have an excellent idea for a Lee+TenTen+Neji friendship chapter…Care to consider it? PLEASE VOTE FOR PAIRINGS AND REVIEW!

By the way, please forgive me if I haven't been updating lately. It's just that I have SO many things to do after school and I'm really busy...I'll try to update as soon as I can!


	4. Red Carnations

**Author's Note: **Wow, I didn't update in ages! Sorry! I decided that I would do a Naruto+Hinata today and maybe Neji+Tenten next time if enough people want it. Okay, I found that it's hard to choose which pairing, so I decided to give you people some possible pairings I could do for the next chapter. For example:

Neji+Tenten

Sasuke+Sakura

Sasuke+Hinata

Shikamaru+Temari

Shikamaru+Ino

These are the pairings I saw in the reviews. Now, all you have to do is choose which pairing you like. Say Neji+Tenten received 6 votes while others got lower than 6 votes. Then I would do Neji+Tenten for the next chapter. Get it? You can keep suggesting pairings, and I will put your pairings on the list every chapter. I'm going to see how this works out for a while, and then I'll decide if I want to devise a new plan to make things easier for both me and all you people who review.

Anyways, this idea of Naruto+Hinata inspired me by a song I was listening to. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Nope, I don't own anything!

By the way, this chapter takes place after Naruto's fight with Gaara after the invasion of Konoha by the Sound and the Sand. Be warned, there are a bit of spoilers of episode 25 to 75 in the anime series and manga volumes 9 to 15.

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**Red Carnations**

Hinata drew open the curtains, and sighed as she saw that it was pouring rain outside. Grey clouds covered the sky, adding to her already gloomy mood. She glanced back at the figure on the white hospital bed. The figure was Uzumaki Naruto. He had been brought into the hospital along with Sakura and Sasuke. Hinata had heard that Naruto had won against Gaara, but was injured. With Ino's reassuring words and a single red carnation, she had visited Naruto in the Konoha hospital, only to find him sleeping. Currently, Naruto was snoring away. Hinata couldn't help but smile at his sleeping form. She looked at the red carnation, which was inside a small vase, and back to Naruto's peaceful-looking face. _'Red carnations…They mean admiration, right? That's exactly what I feel when I look at you, Naruto-kun…' _she looked out the window again. It was still raining, even harder than before. _'I remember when I first met you, Naruto-kun…It was raining then, just like right now. I watched as you sat on the swings alone while it rained…I wanted to offer you my umbrella, but I was too scared and too shy to do so. All I could do was to simply watch as your tears mingled with the raindrops…Now that I think about it, that little moment on that rainy day was the only time I've ever seen you show any sad emotions.' _Hinata looked at the empty table by Naruto's bed. She thought about the many fruit baskets that had been placed by Sasuke's bed and Sakura's bed, but none by Naruto's bed. She wondered why. _'He's such a good person…He's always strong, he's always willing to protect his comrades…Why can't anyone see him as the wonderful person he is?' _Hinata stood up from her stool to head over to Sakura's room.

"I guess I'll borrow a bit of fruit from Sakura-san…" she muttered softly to herself as she walked down the white-painted hallway. She was soon entering Sakura's hospital room. Sakura was sitting up, reading a book. She looked up.

"Oh, Hinata-san! What brings you here?" She asked with a slight smile on her face and she marked her page and set the book away. Hinata found herself feeling a bit flustered.

"Um…I…Is it okay if I…um…borrow a few fruits?" Hinata asked, trying to stop stuttering. Sakura looked a bit surprised, but then smiled warmly.

"Sure you can! I have a lot of fruits and I can't eat them all by myself, so you can take as much as you want." she replied, pointing to a table with lots of fruits piled on top of it. Hinata quickly nodded.

"Um…thank you…" she said softly, and gently grabbed a few apples. Sakura watched her with a curious look.

"They're not for you, are they?" she said flatly, and Hinata blushed.

"I…um…uh…y-yes, but…um…no, they aren't." she confessed, twiddling her fingers nervously. She didn't really want others to know about her feelings for Naruto. Sakura giggled.

"Hey, you don't have to be shy about it. So does this person have no fruits at all?" she asked. Hinata shook her head.

"Um…no." she replied uncertainly, feeling flustered again. Sakura had a look of pity on her face.

"Oh really? That's too bad…That person must be feeling a bit lonely. You know what, just take one of the baskets. Think of it as a little gift from me, although I didn't buy them myself." she said, and reached over to grab a small basket of assorted fruits. Hinata accepted it with a quick bow of gratitude.

"Th-Thank you…And…um…I hope you feel better soon…" she stuttered, and left the room.

As she walked back to Naruto's room, she studied the basket of fruits clutched in her hand. It was a nicely woven basket with a few apples, bananas, pears, and a few other fruits.

'_That was nice of Sakura-san to give away one of her baskets…But I wonder what she would have done if I told her that it was Naruto I was taking to fruits to? Would she have given more baskets to him? After all, he IS her teammate…But so is Sasuke-san. Oh well…At least you received a basket, Naruto-kun…' _she thought, and entered Naruto's room. He was still sleeping, with the white sheets almost off the bed. Hinata couldn't help but smile at the sight. She set the basket down gently on the table and picked up the white sheets before placing them back on top of Naruto. She sat down on the wooden stool next to the bed and glanced at the window. It was still raining, but it was falling down more gently than before. _'Naruto-kun…I remember when you cheered me on in the chuunin exam during the fight with Neji-nii-san. Your voice and your encouraging words really gave me courage…Though I lost, I felt that I had changed. For the first time, I didn't feel worthless or weak. For the first time, I felt strong. Even now, when I'm watching you like this in the hospital, I still feel admiration and courage. Do you think that I'll be even stronger someday? Naruto-kun, you always seem to grow stronger everyday. Compared to you, I'm nothing but a weakling. I don't even get the courage to talk to you in public! But still…I wish I could be as confident as you.' _Hinata recalled the third test for the chuunin exams, when Naruto had faced Neji. Though it seemed almost positive that Naruto was going to lose, he never gave up and beat Neji. She had only watched half of the match, but when she heard that he had won, she had been sure that Naruto had kept battling until the end. _'You defeated Neji-nii-san, Naruto-kun…And you also managed to change him. You manage to change many people, Naruto-kun, although you don't realize it. You changed me, you changed Neji-nii-san, and you changed many other people's lives…in a good way. How can you be so strong? I can only hope that I'll ever be like you…' _Hinata began thinking about the little event that had occurred just before the starting of the third test, in the training area. Naruto had told her that he liked people like her. She had wondered if it was all a dream, but she knew it was true. She had been frozen in time, replaying Naruto's words in her mind. _'Naruto-kun…I still wonder if you really meant what you said on that day…I would be really happy of you did mean it. I know that you aren't the type of person to lie about things like those. Well guess what, Naruto-kun…Aside from the admiration I have in you, I also think that I have a crush on you. But I bet that you're never going to find out unless I tell you…And I'm not planning to tell you anytime soon. I can never get enough courage to tell you any of my feelings. And…I bet that's going to be how it is for a long time. How will you ever know my feelings towards you? Sometimes I wish that you would at least notice a hint of my feelings, but I know that you can't. Sakura-san calls you dense, but I know that it's just in your nature. But sometimes I still can't help but wonder when you will finally notice me.' _Hinata looked up from Naruto's face. The sound of rain had stopped. When she looked at the window, she smiled softly at the sight. She walked over to the window, opening it slightly and enjoying the fresh breeze. The sun was out, and the puddles on the streets reflected the blue sky and the parting clouds. Hinata closed the window and turned back towards Naruto, and gasped a little as she realized that he was stirring awake. She breathed a sigh of relief when Naruto just turned around and went back to a light slumber. But she knew that he would be waking up very soon. So she went over to the stool and sat down. She picked up an apple from the basket, and after finding a small knife inside one of the drawers of the cabinet inside of the room, she began peeling the apple. As she peeled the red skin with the knife, she smiled sadly. _'Naruto-kun, I know that it'll probably take a while for you to fully notice me. You like Sakura-san, right? I can't blame you. Sakura-san is always so cheerful and outgoing…Unlike me, who's always shy and lonely. It hurts a little when I see you two together, but it's okay. I don't mind watching you from afar. As long as I see you happy, I'm happy too. Naruto-kun…the least I can do is peel an apple for you, so that you won't have to peel them yourself when you wake up. You're still recovering, Naruto-kun; it's better for you to relax for now.' _Hinata cut the now-peeled apple into a few slices, and set them on a plate she had also found along with a fork. She placed the plate beside Naruto's bed. _'The least I can do…is to do this. I just want to show you that I care, and that you have many people who think greatly of you. I'll see you later, Naruto-kun…Perhaps I'll join you when you're eating ramen sometime.' _Before she left the room, she glanced at the single red carnation and smiled.

"I hope you get better soon…Naruto-kun." she whispered, and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

**_A few minutes later…_**

Naruto opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a small vase with a red carnation in it. _'Huh? I wonder who placed it there…' _he thought, confused. He sat up, ignoring the small pain on his head. He spotted a plate of freshly peeled apple slices on the table next to his bed.

"Apples? Who peeled them?" Naruto wondered aloud, and sniffed the slices.

'_They don't seem poisoned…' _he thought. He popped a piece into his mouth. After declaring that it was safe, he stuffed all of the slices into his mouth and chewed them happily, filling some of his empty stomach. _'But really…I wonder who peeled the apples and gave me the carnation?'_

Outside the hospital, Hinata was walking back towards the Hyuuga estate with a smile on her face.

_I wish you well and so I take my leave,_

_I pray you know me when we meet again._

_-William Shakespeare-_

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Well, how was it? I read that quote from William Shakespeare in school, and that along with a song I was listening to inspired me to write this chapter.

Anyways, like I said at the beginning of this chapter, I'm going to give you people a list of possible pairings I could do for the next chapter, and then I'll write about the pairing with the most votes. The list is:

Neji+Tenten

Sasuke+Sakura

Sasuke+Hinata

Shikamaru+Temari

Shikamaru+Ino

You can also suggest pairings so that I could add it to the list at the end of every chapter. Let's see how this works out! Well, PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. White Heathers and a Daffodil

**Author's Note: **Hehe…it's been a while! Sorry, but I had homework, school, and many of my activities such as basketball tournaments, swimming competitions, and a lot more things! But HOMEWORK took up most of my time. Darn…Homework sucks, don't you people agree? Anyways, here are the votes! Let's see…1 vote for Sasuke+Sakura, 2 votes for Shikamaru+Temari, 3 for Shikamaru+Ino, and… (Drum roll) 7 VOTES FOR NEJI+TENTEN! Luckily, I have an AWESOME idea for that pair, so…you people are in luck! By the way, this chapter was inspired by a Japanese drama I saw. Well, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Naruto, the world would have cracked in half by now.

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**White Heathers and a Daffodil**

The rain was pouring. It was a grey, gloomy day in Konoha. The usually crowded streets were empty and looked bare, and the usual shining sun wasn't out. Tenten looked out of the window inside of her room with a blank expression. She pressed her forehead to the cool glass, her breath fogging up the clear pane.

'_It's already been two weeks since that event…' _Tenten thought as she stared out into the lonely streets.

_** Flashback >>>>>**_

Tenten leaned against the trunk of the large oak tree, sighing as a cool breeze blew against her hair. Neji sat beside her, his long dark tresses of hair swaying with the breeze. Their ANBU masks lay forgotten on the ground beside them.

"Hey…" they both said, and Tenten chuckled.

"You go first, Neji." she said, turning her head to see him. Neji smirked.

"No, you go first." he said, also facing her. Tenten sighed.

"We both have a mission, right? And we don't know when we're going to come back." she muttered, looking down at the grass.

"You're right. So…what's your mission?" Neji asked, fingering a single blade of grass between his fingers.

"I'll tell you if you tell me yours." Tenten replied with a sly smile. Neji snorted.

"Fine. It's an A-rank mission. We're going out of Konoha to Kirigakure." he said, lowering his voice.

"Interesting. Mine's also an A-rank mission. We're going to Sunagakure." Tenten said lazily, picking a single green leaf off the ground. There was silence for a moment. Neither ninjas spoke. Only the soft rustle of the leafy branches of the oak tree was heard.

"…What's the chance of living for your mission?" the two ninjas said at the same time, and Tenten suddenly burst out laughing. Neji also couldn't help but chuckle.

"Mine's 50." Tenten replied after calming down.

"Mine's also 50." Neji replied, and Tenten stood up. Once again, there was a moment of silence.

"Neji…" she said, looking up into the clear blue sky. "Do you still believe in destiny?" Neji also looked up.

"Not really…" he replied, his clear eyes reflecting the sky. "But…" he stood up and pressed his forehead against Tenten's. "I do believe that it was destiny we met. It is also destiny…that we will see each other again after the mission." Tenten smiled softly.

"You think so, too?" she whispered. The two kissed for a brief moment until Tenten broke the kiss. "What are we doing, acting as if we'll never see each other for a long time? You're the one who said that destiny will allow us to meet again!" she said jokingly, a laughing smile on her face. Neji smiled a small smile. It wasn't a smirk, or his usual emotionless expression. It was a smile.

"I guess you're right." he said quietly, and another breeze blew past them. Tenten laughed a little bit before turning to leave.

"Hey Neji…meet me tomorrow in front of the gates before you leave, okay?" she suddenly said, walking away. Neji was a bit surprised, but nodded.

"I'll be waiting."

_** Flashback ends >>>>>**_

Tenten smiled bitterly as she remembered that moment.

'_If only that day would repeat itself over and over again…' _she thought sadly as she turned away from the window and plopped down onto her bed. Beside her bed was a small wooden table, and it had some letters and gifts that she had received from Neji over the years. But what really caught her attention was the single glass vase among the items. In it was a single daffodil, its petals still fresh for some reason. Tenten remembered the day when she got it.

_** Flashback >>>>>**_

It was the next day. Neji and Tenten were currently standing in front of each other in front of the Konoha main gates. They were both dressed in their ANBU uniforms, ready to go. It was raining, with thunder clouds covering the sky. Tenten looked at Neji, rain trickling down her face.

"Neji…here." she said with a brave smile on her face. She handed him a single white heather, with its cream-colored petals dotted with raindrops. Neji glanced at it before holding it delicately in his hands, as if it was glass.

"White heather…the flower of protection…" Neji murmured as he studied the flower. Tenten blushed a little bit.

"When we went on missions together…I would always try to protect you and your blind spot. This time, I can't go with you, so…I put my prayers on that flower." she explained, looking down. The rain continued to fall. Neji nodded before gently placing it inside of his pocket. He turned to leave.

"Thank you, Tenten…As my thanks, I'll give you this." he said, and he threw something towards her. By reflex, Tenten caught it between her fingers and let out a small gasp as she saw what it was.

"A Daffodil…" she whispered as she gently felt its delicate yellow petals.

"The sun shines inside my heart when I'm with you, Tenten…You're the only one." Neji muttered as he went closer to her. "That daffodil represents my feelings towards you." After he said that, Neji instantly captured Tenten's lips with his. Tenten closed her eyes, not wanting to forget that moment. The rain was falling down hard, but the two ANBUs paid no attention to the area around them. Finally, they broke apart. Tenten put the daffodil safely inside one of her pouches and put on her ANBU mask. Neji did the same.

"Neji…Aishiteru." Tenten said from behind her mask. The two ninjas went their separate ways, and all the while, the rain was still falling.

_** Flashback ends >>>>>**_

A single tear threatened to roll down her cheek as Tenten recalled that moment. Two weeks after that memorable day, Tenten had returned from her mission in hopes of seeing Neji. She still remembered how disappointed she had felt when Tsunade had told her that Neji hadn't returned yet. Days turned into weeks as Tenten waited patiently for Neji to come back. All she could do was hope that he'll come back and perhaps give her a hug or a kiss.

'_There's no point denying it…I miss Neji.' _Tenten thought. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. Curious, Tenten went out of her room to open the door. _'Who could be visiting me in this rain? _Tenten opened the door, and was quite surprised when she saw Sakura standing outside, clothes and hair dripping with rain and soaked to the bone.

"S…Sakura? What are you doing here? You'll catch a cold!" Tenten exclaimed, but Sakura shook her head, panting heavily.

"Tenten-san…you must…come quickly!" she huffed, her face showing fatigue. "Neji-san…Neji-san has come back with his ANBU squad!" Tenten's eyes widened.

'_Neji…Neji came back…' _she thought and she immediately dashed outside.

"Tenten-san!" Sakura yelled, but Tenten paid no attention to the pink-haired girl. She could just barely hear Sakura running to catch up with Tenten. The rain pelted down, soaking Tenten's clothes and hair, but Tenten didn't care. She just kept running, all the way to the Konoha main gates. Grasped in one hand was the daffodil Neji had given her.

'_Neji…I hope you're alright…' _Tenten thought, impatiently brushing away a single wet lock of hair that had escaped from her hastily-tied buns.

The first thing Tenten saw when she arrived at the gates was a large crowd, with medic-nin, ANBU, jounins, a few chuunins, and Tsunade. Tenten pushed through the crowd, and gasped when she came to the middle. Neji and his ANBU squad were lying on the ground. They were obviously unconscious, and medic-nins were starting to carry them off. Fearing the worst, Tenten shakily approached Neji. She trembled as she lightly brushed Neji's cheek. Tenten stiffened when she felt Tsunade's hand on her shoulder.

"Is he…" Tenten whispered, staring down at Neji's face. Tsunade shook her head.

"I don't know. From what I've heard from his ANBU squad, he was stabbed by a poisoned senbon. He managed to complete the mission, but he collapsed from chakra exhaustion and the poison. He was also stabbed in stomach by a sword. All I know is that he is in critical condition and needs to be taken care of quickly." she explained, and with shaking hands Tenten grasped Neji's cold ones.

"Neji…" she muttered, and kneeled down on the muddy and wet ground beside his limp body. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the bloody wound on his stomach and his expressionless face.

'_Neji…you'd better wake up…Neji…' _Tenten thought, squeezing Neji's hand. Tsunade looked at Tenten with a sympathetic face, and then turned to the medic-nins.

"Quick, get a stretcher and take him to the hospital!" she barked, and the medic-nins quickly nodded and dashed off to get an extra stretcher.

'_Neji…you promised that we'll see each other again, right? Don't you dare break that promise…' _Tenten thought. The rain was still falling. A single tear from Tenten dropped onto Neji's cheek, mingling with the rain.

"Neji…I love you…" Tenten whispered, cradling Neji close to her. She gasped as she felt someone stroke her hair.

"And I love you too, Tenten…" Neji muttered, gently pushing a stray lock of hair behind Tenten's ear. Tenten's eyes immediately brimmed with tears.

"Neji…" she sobbed as she hugged him. Neji brushed the tears off Tenten's face, catching her attention.

"What are doing out here…It's pouring rain…" he said, smirking a little bit.

"Neji you baka." Tenten laughed softly. Neji spotted the daffodil clutched in one of Tenten's hands.

"…You still have that flower." he mumbled, looking at it curiously.

"Of course. I would never throw it out." Tenten said, and held up the daffodil at arm's length, studying its sunny-yellow petals. Neji smirked. He rummaged in his pocket for something, and pulled out something small and white. Tenten gasped.

"That's the white heather I gave you! You still have it?" she exclaimed, amazed at the fact that it wasn't even dirty.

"Well, you still have my daffodil, so…I still have the heather." Neji said flatly, and Tenten smiled.

"Welcome back, Neji." she said softly. Just then, the medic-nins came with the stretcher.

"You're late!" Tsunade shouted impatiently.

"S…Sorry, Hokage-sama! But we had some difficulty trying to find an extra stretcher." one of the medic-nins explained hurriedly, not wanting to face the Hokage's wrath.

"Whatever, just take him to the hospital quickly!" Tsunade ordered, and the medic-nins lifted Neji and placed him on the stretcher. Neji glanced at Tenten.

"I'll see you later, Tenten. And go home quickly. You'll catch a cold." he said, and Tenten nodded.

'_Love cures people –Both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.'_

_-Dr. Karl Menninger-_

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So, how was it? I got that quote from a book I read. I thought that it suited this chapter pretty well. Like I said earlier, this idea was inspired by a Japanese drama, but I had to make up the ending. Well, PLEASE REVIEW! For the next chapter, you can vote for:

Neji+Tenten

Naruto+Hinata

Sasuke+Sakura

Shikamaru+Ino

Shikamaru+Temari


	6. Chocolate Roses

**Author's Note: **Hi! LOL, I'm feeling kinda hyper today (I think I ate too much chocolate), so I'm going for a sweet, humorous theme for this chapter. Okay…from the reviews, I got 2 for Naruto+Hinata, 2 for Shikamaru+Ino, and…BOTH Neji+Tenten AND Sasuke+Sakura has 4! Uh oh…what do I do? MUAHAHA, never fear, Haruka Kanata is here! LOL. There's gonna be two scenes in this chapter…NOT! Sorry, but I don't have much time so I can only do one pairing. And since I have a pretty good idea for Neji+Tenten and I don't know what I'm going to write for Sasuke+Sakura, I'll do Neji+Tenten for this chapter and I PROMISE that I'll do Sasuke+Sakura FOR SURE in the next chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I don't own Naruto. And I probably never will, unless some kind of miracle happens.

By the way, I give my thanks to **tenten-kun**. Thank you for the useful little info on flowers and their meanings.

* * *

**Chocolate Roses **_Warning: MAJOR OOC-ness!_

'_Breathe in, breathe out.'_

Tenten repeated that phrase over and over again in her mind. Her fists clenched and loosened, clenched again and they loosened, again and again as she kept muttering those words.

"Breathe in, breathe out." she whispered as she observed the scene before her. An empty little package, a little red ribbon lying on the grass nearby, lots of empty plastic bags…And the many small crumbs of chocolate littered on the ground. Tenten nudged a half-empty box with her toe. On the box, written with big, colorful letters, were the words: 'Chocolate Roses'. But it wasn't the words Tenten was looking at. It wasn't the empty little package of chocolate eggs, or the empty plastic bag of Hershey's Kisses, or the many empty bags of assorted chocolate bars. And of course, it wasn't the little red ribbon lying on the grass nearby that caught Tenten's attention. No, those useless pieces of trash didn't catch Tenten's attention at all. It was, in fact, the 15-year-old sticky, brownish, messy, drowsy, chocolaty Hyuuga genius that caught her attention. Chocolate smeared all over his handsome face, sticky, practically sugar-covered hands, wrappers thrown all around him, and most importantly…a GRIN on his face. A happy, peaceful, content GRIN on THE Hyuuga genius's face. THE Hyuuga genius. The one and only. Think about it. A GRIN on…wait for it…a GRIN on THE Hyuuga Neji's face! Hyuuga NEJI! That's a phenomenon! A terrible disaster! The WORLD is about to END! Kiba turned into a cat, Hinata yelled "I LOVE NARUTO!" and jumped off a cliff, Sasuke laughed and skipped along the flower garden with Sakura holding his hand, Shikamaru finally got off his lazy butt and LOST against CHOUJI in a game of CHESS! Oh, WHY is the world so CRUEL! …Okay, I'll stop. Anyways, Tenten was SHOCKED. And awed. And then blushed. And then…she was MAD. MAD, MAD, MAD. She was so MAD, she got out her kunai and yelled "NEJI! I LOVE YOU!" …I'm just kidding. The REAL scene was that Tenten grabbed Neji gently by the collar of his shirt and lightly slapped his cheeks.

"Hey! Hyuuga Neji! Earth to Neji! Are you awake?" she said, tapping his chocolate-covered cheeks. The Hyuuga genius awoke with a groan.

"Ugh…I feel like I was hit in the head by Hokage-sama…" he mumbled, rubbing his head. He looked at Tenten with dazed, unfocused eyes. "Oh, Tenten…Nice day, isn't it…" Tenten cringed.

"Uhh…okay…" she muttered, and shook Neji by his shoulders. "Neji, obviously you've had too much chocolate and sugar. I'll take you back to the Hyuuga estate…No wait, I can't do that! Dammit…Neji, stop acting so OUT OF CHARACTER and get a grip!" she exclaimed, and Neji looked at her again with a dazed look. There was silence.

"…Me like chocolate. Chocolate are gooooooood. Me want to eat again. Me go WHEEEEE!" Neji shouted with glee. Yes, he shouted with glee. THE Hyuuga Neji SHOUTED with GLEE. And very soon after he SHOUTED with GLEE, his face turned green.

"Neji?" Tenten asked, concerned, but when she saw Neji's green face, her eyes widened. She jumped out of the way just in time as Neji puked on the grass she had just been sitting on.

"Ugh…uhh…oooh…ugh…" Neji groaned as he puked. Tenten winced. After he had finished, Tenten walked towards Neji and tentatively patted his back.

"Um…are you okay now?" she asked cautiously. After a few moments of cursing and rubbing his stomach, Neji turned around and looked at Tenten.

"…Tenten." he said, looking a bit surprised. Tenten sighed with relief.

"Whew…you scared me, Neji! Who would have known that the Hyuuga genius gets VERY hyper after eating chocolate? Then again, ANYONE would get hyper and get a stomachache after eating a whole package of chocolate eggs, or a complete bag of Hershey's Kisses, and 5 whole bags of chocolate bars. Oh, and half a box of…my FAVORITE chocolate roses!" she exclaimed. Neji looked confused, but then realization of what he did dawned upon him.

"Oh my god…" he muttered, holding his head in his hands. As Tenten watched his face, a sudden flashback of Neji, THE Hyuuga Neji, GIGGLING, came into her mind. There was silence. Suddenly, Tenten began to shake. Neji looked at her.

"Tenten?" he asked, and got even more confused when Tenten wouldn't answer. Her bangs were covering her eyes and her head was lowered so Neji couldn't really see her expression. Without warning, Tenten burst into laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…(pant pant)…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…(rolling on the ground)…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she laughed and laughed and laughed, and poor Neji didn't know what to do.

"Um…Tenten?" Neji asked, but Tenten just kept on laughing. "What's so funny?" He was torn between being angry at Tenten for laughing at him and blushing because he always thought that Tenten's smile was very beautiful. Finally, Tenten stopped laughing.

"Sorry Neji!" she said between chuckles. "I…It's just that…Oh heck, never mind." Neji sighed.

"It has something to do with how I acted while I was…um…yeah. Right?" he asked, his cheeks slightly reddening. Tenten chuckled.

"Like I said, sorry for laughing. But it's just that…it was so damn FUNNY!" she exclaimed. Neji crossed his arms and closed his eyes, obviously ticked off. Tenten noticed this and smiled. A sly smile on her face, she edged closer to Neji, their noses almost touching. Neji felt his cheeks going red at the closeness. "But…" Tenten mumbled. "You looked kind of cute." soon after she said that, Tenten gently pressed her lips against Neji's. Tenten broke the kiss not long after, but gasped a little bit as Neji kissed HER, more passionately. They both broke apart, gasping for breath. Tenten smirked. "You definitely ate too much chocolate, Neji." she said, and grabbed a chocolate rose from the box lying next to the two ninjas. She popped it into her mouth and smiled. "Want some?" Neji smirked.

"Why not." he said coolly.

The next morning, Lee and Gai were walking towards the forest.

"Gai-sensei! It is a beautiful day!" Lee exclaimed. Gai smiled.

"I agree with you, Lee! Do not let your youthfulness leave you on such a youthful morning! The spirit of youth!" he boomed, and flashing Lee a sparkling grin.

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee saluted. They came to their usual training spot, only to find chocolate wrappers, empty boxes, plastic bags, and other trash littering the ground. A single chocolate rose lay in one of the boxes. But the thing…or people…that shocked Lee and Gai the most was the two certain teens with their arms around each other, kissing. The wind blew dramatically around them. A single cardboard box hit Lee's head. Gai and Lee practically had their jaws on the floor as they gaped at the couple. Yup, it was a beautiful morning, alright.

* * *

How was it? It was a bit short, but this was meant to be a little one-shot. It didn't have much to do with flowers, but…oh well. By the way, about the chocolate roses, I dunno if any of you people tried it, but it's a rose-shaped hollow chocolate with caramel filling inside. It's SO delicious…yum…I ate a LOT of them yesterday and today. LOL. And Neji was quite OOC in this chapter, wasn't he? That's because he ate WAY too much chocolate. When I eat too much chocolate, my calm and quiet personality turns into a loud and crazy personality! WHOO-HOO! LOL. OH! By the way! FOR ALL YOU NEJI+TENTEN FANS, READ THIS! I read chapter 258 of the Naruto manga last night. I'm not going to spoil anything if you didn't read it yet, but I must tell you…there is Neji+Tenten in that chapter! I'm not joking! There's a hint of it! For you to understand, I'm afraid that I must spoil ONE scene. Tenten, Neji, and Lee were trapped in a water prison and Neji managed to get out. He broke the water prisons and when Tenten started to faint because she was without oxygen for a while, Neji caught her and supported her! YAY! Now, some people might call it "friendship", but I think there's something going on…Also, Masashi Kishimoto-san hinted Shikamaru+Temari. Neji+Tenten and Shikamaru+Temari…hmm…

You people don't really need to vote cuz I'm DEFINITELY doing Sasuke+Sakura in the next chapter, but you can if you want to.


	7. Heavenly Lilacs

**Author's Note: **Okay, I WAS gonna update later, but then I remembered…I'm going to Florida tomorrow! Therefore…I probably won't be able to update for 2 weeks or so! That also means…I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO READ FANFICTIONS! (Gasp!) PLEASE, someone HELP! After you read this chapter, there's going to a very important author's note at the bottom so make sure you read it! Anyways…here's a short little Sasuke+Sakura drabble-thingy! LOL.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own ANY characters/items/things/jutsus/names/ANYTHING of Naruto!

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**Heavenly Lilac  
**

It was a sunny, normal day. Sasuke was leaning against the bridge railing of Team 7's usual meeting spot. Naruto and Sakura weren't here yet, and, as always, Kakashi was late. But that was perfectly alright for Sasuke. Actually, he preferred the quiet surroundings and the gentle breeze rather than having Naruto jump around and yell and Sakura scolding him. Normally, Sasuke would have been trying to make the best out of the quiet time, but that day, many thoughts were buzzing through is head like a swarm of bees.

'_Lilacs…I wonder if she'll smell like lilacs again?' _he thought dazedly, which was quite out-of-character for the usually cool and stoic Uchiha Sasuke. But he couldn't help it. He could almost smell the gentle, sweet fragrance of lilacs filled his nostrils every time he thought about his female teammate, Haruno Sakura. It had all started 2 weeks ago, when Sakura had arrived unusually late, even later than Kakashi. She had apologized nervously, and flashed an apologetic smile, like she would always do when she unintentionally annoyed someone or if she made a mistake. But that's not the point. The point was that when Sakura had walked past Sasuke, her soft, silky cherry-blossom pink hair had swooshed into his face, tickling his nose and sending tingles all over his body, and most importantly, the light, heavenly scent of lilacs had filled his nostrils. Everyday after that, she always smelled like lilacs. And secretly, Sasuke enjoyed it. And also, secretly, Sasuke wanted to find out the secret of the lilac scent. He had never heard of any body soap that had a fragrance such as hers. Perhaps it's a perfume. That could be possible. Sasuke's buzzing thoughts were interrupted when a familiar loud voice cut through the used-to-be quiet air.

"HEY, SASUKE!" Naruto loud, boisterous voice yelled, and Sasuke twitched slightly with annoyance.

"Dobe…" he muttered, crossing his arms coolly.

"Keh." Naruto retorted, also crossing his arms but in a more clumsy, careless way.

"Gosh, do you two HAVE to argue every morning?" a feminine voice exclaimed, obviously sounding exasperated.

"GOOD MORNING, SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled, and Sakura bonked him on the head lightly.

"Don't yell in my ear," she scolded. "You could wake the dead with your voice!" Suddenly, a small 'poof' sound was heard. Kakashi appeared on the bridge, a casual smile on his face.

"Yo, fellow students." He said, his voice slightly muffled by his mask. Sakura and Naruto stormed up to him.

"Kakashi-sensei! For once you're not late!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes wide with awe.

"Hahaha…you see, Hokage-sama told me that she would strangle me to death while I'm asleep if I don't start showing up earlier…" Kakashi explained nervously, scratching the back of his head. Meanwhile, Sasuke was once again trying to sort out his emotions and thoughts. When Sakura had rushed over to Kakashi, her hair had blown lightly into his face again, making him almost dizzy by the heavenly scent of lilacs. Sasuke snapped out of his daze when he realized that someone was calling him.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you alright? Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said gently as she tapped him on his shoulder. Sasuke shook his head quickly, a light blush on his face as he realized how close their faces were.

"I…I'm okay…" he said awkwardly, trying to suppress the heat rising up in his cheeks. Sakura looked at him curiously, but much to Sasuke's relief, she backed away, a smile on her face.

"Really? That's good. I'm not sure if you heard or not, but Kakashi just gave us a mission. It's a D-rank mission, and we have to clean the hot springs." She said brightly, and Sasuke found himself captivated in her emerald-green eyes.

"Well, let's go!" Naruto yelled impatiently, and the trio set off, to the house if doom…just kidding.

As expected, the mission proved to be VERY easy. However, because the hot springs were so big, it was already evening when Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were done with the cleaning. As a sign of thanks, the owner of the hot springs let them stay at the inn for the night.

"Yes! It's not everyday we get to go in the hot springs for free! I'm taking a bath!" Sakura said excitedly, and skipped off, humming. Naruto yawned while stretching his arms.

"Crap, I'm awfully tired from all that scrubbing…I'm gonna sleep…" and so Naruto trudged upstairs sleepily out of sight. Sasuke sighed once everyone had gone. He was about to sit down on the balcony outside, but then he noticed something on the table. It was a familiar-looking fluffy pink towel, and Sasuke instantly recognized it as Sakura's towel.

'_Darn, she must have forgotten her towel…' _He thought, and picked it up. He glanced around the room, looking to see if any of the maids were around, but found none. He sighed.

'_I'll have to give it to her myself…' _he walked towards the hot springs, and unfortunately, he forgot that he was entering the GIRLS' springs.

Sakura sighed blissfully as she sank slowly into the water.

"Ah, I just LOVE hot springs!" she breathed, and grabbed a small, purple-colored bottle beside her. On the bottle was written 'Heavenly Lilac'. Sakura poured a bit onto her hand and massaged it into her hair. The sweet fragrance of lilacs filled the hot springs. After spreading the shampoo all over her hair, Sakura sank lower into the water and let the shampoo settle. She was just about to stand up to grab a bar of body soap but suddenly, the wooden door of the hot springs sprang open.

Sasuke opened the wooden door, still not realizing what he was doing. After he had fully opened the door, Sasuke looked up.

"Sakura, you forgot your…oh my god…" he said, and his jaw dropped open. Standing in front of him, naked, was Sakura, her hair soaking wet with shampoo all over it. The two stared at each other. There was silence.

'_Oh my god she has a nice body…' _Sasuke thought. Suddenly, his cheeks went bright red as he FINALLY realized where he was and what he was seeing. Sakura also realized it too. Her face went red and she clenched her fists tightly.

"Sasuke-KUN…" Sakura growled, her fists shaking. "You…you…you PERVERT!" she hollered, and started to grab everything she could reach and started to chuck them at poor Sasuke.

"Wait Sakura, I can explain…" Sasuke started to say, but he suddenly found himself dodging bars of soap, bottles, small rocks, and many other items. He turned to run out of the door, but he accidentally stepped on a bar of body soap and…slipped. He banged his head on the stone floor, and before he knew it, he was being pelted by rocks.

"OUT! GET OUT!" Sakura roared. She had found a towel to cover herself. Sasuke hurriedly got back up and scrambled forward, slipping on the wet floor.

"SAKURA! STOP!" he yelled, but Sakura wouldn't listen. Her face was bright red with fury and embarrassment. Foolishly, Sasuke walked into the hot springs. After skillfully dodging all of the rocks, he dashed forward and grabbed Sakura.

"Sakura, stop! I was just trying to give your towel back…" he said, but was cut off when he felt something soft and plushy in his hands. He looked down and he turned many shades of red and purple as he realized that his hands were on…you know…Sakura's, um…CHEST, if you know what I mean. His eyes widened, and Sakura's eyes also widened. Before Sasuke could let go and apologize, the scent…the heavenly scent of lilacs filled his nose. Sasuke froze as the fragrance surrounded him. He was in a daze for a moment, but woke up out of his dreams when a tight hand gripped Sasuke's wrists and twisted them. Sasuke winced in pain as he finally let go of Sakura's…um…yeah.

"Oh, um…Sakura! Look, I'm really sorry…" Sasuke tried to apologize, but he was interrupted by Sakura, who was by now seething with rage.

"SAAAASUUUUKE! You'll PAY!" she yelled, and with her massive strength and her anger, she lifted up a HUGE rock that was about the size of a car. Sasuke gaped at it. He was too frozen to move. "You PERVERTED JERK!" Sakura shouted, and hurled the rock at Sasuke. For once, Sasuke was SCARED. And I mean VERY SCARED. Really, REALLY scared.

So scared, he didn't even try to dodge the rock.

…

The last thing Sasuke smelled was the sweet, heavenly smell of lilacs.

"OH MY GOD Sasuke-kun! Are you alright?"

* * *

LOL, I dunno where this idea came from. I kinda got it from a scene in one of the episodes for Rurouni Kenshin. Alright, so how was this chapter? I tried to make it light and humorous. Well, you can vote for the next chapter! BUT! I'm gonna add a little twist for what you can vote. Here's a set of instructions on how to vote for the next chapter.

1.First, you have to choose ONE category. In your review, you have to tell me whether you want ROMANCE, FRIENDSHIP, ROMANCE/FRIENDSHIP, COMEDY/ROMANCE, or COMEDY/FRIENDSHIP.

2.Next, you must choose a pairing for your category. This is what pairings you can vote for romance: Neji+Tenten, Sasuke+Sakura, Naruto+Hinata, Shikamaru+Ino, and Shikamaru+Temari. For friendship, ANY pairing is possible.

3.After that…I will look at your reviews, count up how many people wanted romance and stuff like that, and which pairing people voted for the most.

Easy enough? This idea was suggested to me by my best friend…She's pretty smart. Well, I'm gonna use this method for ONE CHAPTER ONLY. PLEASE REVIEW!


	8. Bouquet of Roses

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! I didn't get to update cuz I was in Florida! But guess what…I'm back now! Harukakanata is back! LOL. Anyways, as for the fic…**cocoa-latte**, you wanted Friendship: Naruto/Sakura, right? I thought that was a REALLY nice suggestion and I wanted to do it, but then I came across a few problems. The first problem was that nobody except you wanted it, so it would be unfair to all those people who wanted something else. But the biggest problem was…I had NO clue what to do for that friendship pair! I thought for a VERY long time, but no ideas popped into my head! Soooo…I decided to put aside that idea FOR NOW and use the most popular genre&pair. I'll do the NaruSaku friendship later on, when I get a good idea for them. Meanwhile…most people wanted romance, but Neji+Tenten and Sasuke+Sakura were tied! Geez, I love Neji+Tenten and Sasuke+Sakura too, but I like a bit of variety…oh well. I did Sasuke+Sakura already, so I'll do Neji+Tenten.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. So don't sue me.

* * *

**Bouquet of Roses**

For the first time in his life, Hyuuga Neji was nervous. Okay, maybe it wasn't the FIRST time, but he hadn't felt so nervous before. It was a day before Tenten's 15th birthday, and he had absolutely NO clue of what he should get her. She was having a birthday party, arranged by Sakura and Ino. The entire rookie nine and Gai's team were invited, along with Gai and the other jounin senseis. Lee had gotten a gift for Tenten in a jiffy, and Neji had almost envied Lee's understanding of Tenten. After all, Lee was one of Tenten's best friends and he knew her really well. Tenten's party was being held the next day so Neji knew that he had to get a gift fast.

'_But what am I supposed to give her?' _Neji thought, and began to think about all of the possible gifts he could get her. Money wasn't a problem for him; The Hyuuga clan had more than enough money to spare. He decided to think while meditating.

'_Girls usually like jewelry and stuff like that…But Tenten prefers weapons than a diamond necklace. Teenage girls usually like pretty clothes…But Tenten isn't the type of girl who likes clothes. Make-up and pretty ribbons are out of the question. Damn…What should I get her?' _he thought, and found himself getting more and more confused and frustrated. Without warning, he stood up, causing nearby chipmunks and squirrels to scurry off in fear and surprise.

"I have no choice," he muttered to himself. "This is an emergency here."

'_I'll probably wreck my reputation for good, but I have no other choice. Damn Tenten for making me do this!' _And so, Neji walked out of the forest…to seek help and advice. Yes, you heard me right. HYUUGA NEJI is asking for HELP. THE Hyuuga genius…is asking for help. Think that's surprising? Wait until you hear THIS. Hyuuga NEJI, THE Hyuuga genius, sought out GAI. Yup, he asked MAITO GAI for help. That's how desperate he was. Anyways, Neji found Gai kicking a log in another part of Konoha.

"Gai-sensei…" Neji said, a vein twitching on his temple. He had the urge to just forget about it and go train, but he knew he had to. Gai stopped kicking the log and gaped when he saw Neji. There was silence.

"Uhh…HELLO, Neji, my dear former student! What brings you here on this YOUTHFUL day?" Gai boomed, and Neji's eyebrow twitched.

"I…have…something…to…ask…you…" Neji said slowly and calmly, trying to keep his sanity in check. There was another moment of silence as Gai gaped at him once more. Then, tears filled his eyes.

"NEJI! So you've finally acknowledged my greatness and wisdom and decided to ask for advice! Well, fear no longer! I, MAITO GAI, WILL DO ANYTHING FOR MY BELOVED STUDENT! Now, don't be shy! What do you have to ask?" he shouted, striking one of his infamous poses. "Inner Neji" was practically crying with embarrassment. However, the "outer" Neji kept his cool, or at least, he TRIED to. He succeeded…a little bit.

"I…need…help…wi –" Neji was cut off with Gai's yell of victory and triumph.

"OH, HEAVENS! NEJI IS ASKING ME FOR HELP! I HAVE DONE IT!" Gai yelled, "tears of youth" flowing down his cheeks. Neji suppressed the urge to attack his former sensei and continued to speak.

"I need…help…with…choosing…a…gift…for…Tenten's…birthday…" he finished, and felt his pride get ripped out of him, burned in a chimney, slammed to the ground, and stomped upon repeatedly until there was nothing but dust.

"I see…a gift for Tenten…hmm…" Gai said, suddenly getting serious. Neji gulped silently, a single bead of sweat running down his temple. Then, Gai stood up from his sitting position. "I've got it! The perfect gift!" he yelled, and Neji looked at him expectantly. But his face paled when Gai pulled out something from behind his back. And it took all of Neji's might and will not to puke and to kill Gai right then and there. Stretched out in Gai's hands was…a pink spandex. Actually, it was more like a pink leotard. It was like a one-piece swimsuit with long sleeves. Neji's eye twitched, and Gai grinned triumphantly.

"Nice, huh? It's a dazzling pink color –It will surely match Tenten! And this glamorous suit is blessed with youthfulness…just like mine and Lee's beautiful green suits! With Tenten wearing this, us three will be UNSTOPPABLE! Also, many young men will be attracted to her like bees to honey!" Neji lowered his head. A vein popped on his temple. His fists clenched…and unclenched. Meanwhile, oblivious to Neji's "aura" of "evil", Gai continued to babble on and on about the pink "suit of youth".

"…AND, because the fabric clings comfortably close to your skin, you have no worries of getting your shirt caught in branches when you're in the forest! OH! And also, it's very hip and modern, and soon, EVERYONE will want one! And soon, the world shall be filled with the power of YOUTH! But you haven't heard all of the facts! It's very flexible too, and it's completely washable, with no stains whatsoever!" By now, Neji was about to burst.

"Gai-sensei…" he growled, but Gai didn't hear him.

"…YES! And the BEST THING IS…it's completely free!" Gai held out the pink leotard towards Neji. "What do you say, Neji? Not a bad deal, huh? Not bad at all! The greatest suit in the world…for FREE! I'm SO generous…" Suddenly, Neji was gone. When Gai looked at the pink suit, he gaped with horror and sadness as he held the torn and ripped remains of the pink fabric. "WHAT! Who could have done this!" he wailed, and sobbed dramatically into his hands. Meanwhile, behind a tree not far away, Neji was sighing while rubbing his temples in exasperation.

"It was my mistake for thinking that…that THING of a teacher could help me…" he muttered, and walked out of the forest.

Neji's next stop was the Haruno residence. He rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, a very flustered-looking Sakura was at the doorway. Her eyes widened when she saw Neji.

"Neji-san! What brings you here?" she asked, smiling nervously and looking confused.

"I…don't know what present I should get for Tenten…so…I thought that another girl around her age might have some useful advice." Neji replied, feeling a bit unsure. Sakura's face brightened.

"Really? Well, I guess I can lend a hand…I already got a gift for Tenten-chan anyways. Hmm…let's go to the village square! There's bound to be at least one shop where you can find something!" she said happily, and dragged Neji towards the more crowded, busy area. First, they entered the clothes shop.

"Wait. Tenten's not the type of girl who likes clothes." Neji suddenly said, and Sakura stopped and slapped her forehead.

"Oh yeah! How could I forget that! Okay…" she mumbled, and soon, they were in front of a weapon shop. "How about this place? Tenten-chan loves weapons!" Sakura exclaimed triumphantly, looking proud of herself. Neji shook his head.

"It's no use; Tenten's father is a skilled and popular blacksmith. She gets all of her weapons from him." he said, and Sakura's face fell for a moment before it brightened again. She dragged Neji to another shop, which was a jewelry shop.

"What about jewelry? Tenten-chan's not the type to wear a pretty bracelet, but a necklace might do!" she said, smiling. Neji shook his head again.

"No, I can't do that. Lee already got her a necklace. I want to be…original." he said, and Sakura sighed.

"I see…Oops, look at the time! I've got to go! Neji-san, I'm sorry if I wasn't much help!" she exclaimed, and bowed slightly. Neji scoffed.

"Yeah, you weren't much help. I'll think twice before asking you to help me from now on." he said and began to walk away. Sakura crossed her arms and pouted.

"Well you're sure nice!" she yelled over her shoulder, and she ran off.

It was around evening, and the sun was setting. Neji sighed as he trudged down the almost-empty streets.

'_I still couldn't find anything…What do I do…' _he thought. He stopped and looked up, and his eyes widened when he saw what he was facing. On the door with brightly colored letters, were the words 'YAMANAKA FLOWER SHOP'. Neji mentally slapped himself for his stupidity. _'Darn, I could have just bought flowers for her! How stupid can I get?' _he thought, and entered the shop. At the counter was Ino, who was currently reading a magazine. She looked up when the door opened.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop…HUH? Neji-san?" Ino exclaimed as she dropped her magazine in surprise. After all, it wasn't everyday you saw Hyuuga Neji enter a flower shop in the evening. Neji looked around. He saw many flowers of all kinds, and he to admit that he was impressed by the amount of flowers in the shop. He walked around aimlessly, inspecting a flower here and there. Ino smiled nervously.

"Um…would you like to buy a flower?" she asked, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Neji looked at her, and nodded. "Is it for Tenten-chan's birthday tomorrow?" Ino asked, and Neji nodded again.

"I'm not sure which one to give her." he said after a moment of silence.

"I see…Maybe I could help?" Ino offered, and began pointing out various flowers and their meanings. "…For example, pink roses mean grace and perfect happiness. Oh, and white zinnia mean goodness. The most popular flower is a red rose, which obviously means 'love'. So, which one appeals to you the most?" she asked, and Neji furrowed his eyebrows in thought. His attention settled on the many assorted roses.

'_Love…grace…thankfulness…admiration…friendship…innocence…remembrance…gratitude…beauty…purity…' _Neji thought as he glanced at each rose. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

"Yamanaka-san…I'll buy this." he said, and Ino smiled.

"Good choice!" she exclaimed. A few minutes later, Neji walked out of the shop with a content look on his face.

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It was Tenten's birthday party. The (former) rookie nine and Gai's team were there. Tenten had a big smile on her face as she talked with everyone. The cake was huge, with vanilla frosting, and everyone had a great time. Almost at the end of the party, Tenten opened her presents. From Lee, she received a silver chain necklace with a mini-kunai attached to it. The kunai was made of real ruby, and it was about the size of a large marble. Naruto gave her 5 bowls of cup ramen, including a free coupon for the Ichiraku ramen stand. Ino gave her a set of hair ties. Sakura gave her a new shuriken holster. Shikamaru gave her a set of jutsu scrolls where she could record all of her jutsus. Chouji gave her a big box of assorted chips. Kiba gave her a necklace with a fang attached to it and Akamaru gave her a lick on her cheek. Hinata gave her a brand-new (and expensive) kunai-sharpening kit, and Shino gave her a set of explosive tags that you can easily attach to any weapon. Tenten thanked everyone for their presents and at the end of the party, everyone said goodbye with happy faces. After everyone had left, Tenten sighed happily and looked at all of her presents.

'_I didn't get a gift from Neji but I don't care. At least he came! I'm just content with him being here.' _she thought, but her thoughts were interrupted when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around and found herself face-to-face with none other than the pale-lavender eyes of Hyuuga Neji.

"Neji!" she exclaimed, sighing with relief. "I thought you left!" Neji didn't reply. Instead, he took Tenten's hand, causing her to blush. He led her away from the party area, into the forest. "Neji…where are we going?" Tenten asked, but again Neji didn't reply. So, Tenten just shut her mouth and decided to ask questions later. Suddenly, he stopped.

"Close your eyes." he said with no emotion on his face. Tenten was a bit confused, but did so. She felt Neji leading her somewhere, and thought Tenten had the urge to open her eyes, she didn't. A while later, Neji stopped again.

"Open your eyes." he whispered into her ear, and when Tenten opened her eyes, she gasped silently. She was facing a small pond, with trees surrounding the area. But the most amazing sight was the fireflies. Their small, glowing bodies seemed like sparking stars above the undisturbed waters of the pond. Fireflies dotted the area, and some blinked on and off like neon lights. It was almost night, and the full moon was high and clear in the dark sky. Neji watched as Tenten gasped and smiled with amazement. As she slowly walked towards the pond, fireflies flew around her, lighting up her smiling face. Neji found himself captivated with the sight.

'_She looks so…beautiful, standing there…' _he thought, and he felt his cheeks redden. Tenten looked at him with sparkling amber-colored eyes.

"Neji! How did you find this place! It's…so beautiful…" she exclaimed, chuckling a bit as a firefly landed on her nose. Neji stepped forward with a hint of a smile on his face. He pulled out something from behind his back and held it out towards Tenten.

"Happy birthday, Tenten." he said, half-smirking and half-smiling as Tenten's mouth formed an "O" of surprise. Neji was holding a magnificent bouquet of assorted and mixed roses. Some were pink, some were red, some were yellow, a few were white, and some had leaves attached to it while some didn't. Some were even buds instead of fully-bloomed flowers. Tenten gently took the bouquet with a look of surprise and happiness on her face.

"Neji…" she whispered, holding the bouquet close to her chest. She suddenly felt Neji's hand caressing her cheek gently and blushed a little bit.

"Those roses each have a different meaning, Tenten. Pink for grace, deep pink for thank you, light pink for admiration, yellow for friendship, white for innocence, the full-bloomed roses for gratitude, rosebuds for beauty, red rosebuds for purity, and…" Neji leaned closer towards Tenten. "Red roses for love. The whole bouquet…means that you're everything to me. I love you, Tenten." Tenten couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had felt attraction and love towards Neji for a while now, but she had never expected him to love her.

"Neji…I love you too. This was my best birthday ever." she said, and the two kissed gently, with the fireflies flying gracefully around them.

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Uhh…that wasn't very good, was it? I wasn't too confident with this one…I hope I didn't disappoint any of you Neji+Tenten fans! Oh, and **PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE! IT'S QUITE IMPORTANT! **I have a number of fics that are "coming soon". However, I can only do ONE of them. PLEASE CHECK MY PROFILE! At the bottom of my profile there is a small list of three fics I might do. All of them seem okay but I'm not sure which one to do first! After you have read through all of them, please tell me which one I should do by: Telling me in your reviews, or e-mailing me. But it WOULD be easier for me if you would tell me in your reviews. Just tell me your choice by including it in your review for THIS fic. The most popular choice is the one I will do. Well, PLEASE REVIEW! And don't forget to check my profile! 

For the next chapter, I'm going to use the same system as the one I used on the previous chapter. You have to pick:

A genre Romance, comedy, friendship, romance/comedy, romance/friendship, or friendship/comedy.

A pairing: Sasuke+Sakura, Neji+Tenten, Naruto+Hinata, Shikamaru+Ino, Shikamaru+Temari, Naruto+Sakura, etc. or others.


	9. Freesias

**Author's Note: **Okay…I am definitely NOT feeling good. Today started off quite good, I came back from school, I logged in, I checked out the status of my fics, and…I find my fic "Konoha: A New Generation" deleted. Gone. And I have absolutely NO clue how it got deleted. It couldn't have been banned, because somebody would have sent me an e-mail about it, but I received no e-mails for the past few days. Another possibility is that someone hacked my account…but that's highly unlikely because I never told ANYONE my password. …I would really like to know what's going on. Just in case, I changed my password, but…ARGH I'm so mad! But I didn't update for a while, so I thought I would just write a chapter and then think. On with the fic, I guess…

Anyways…I have just realized that nobody suggested a specific pairing. Like, one person wanted Neji+Tenten, one person wanted Shikamaru+Ino, another person wanted Shikamaru+Temari, another person wanted Sasuke+Sakura…ooh, what to do, what to do…So, I decided to just base this chapter on my most favorite team: Team Gai. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything of the Naruto series.

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**Freesias **_(A Team Gai friendship one-shot, mostly in Tenten's POV.)_

They first met at the academy, when they were 7 years old. Neji was a cold, distant little boy with no friends and who glared at everyone who tried to come near him. Lee was a determined, fiery little boy who had no friends because of his abnormally-thick eyebrows and his lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu skills. Tenten was an energetic, cheerful little girl who didn't have many friends whom were girls because of her daring, wild, and slightly tomboyish personality, and not many friends whom were boys because they thought she was just a girl with no last name. Basically, they were the three with no friends. Tenten spoke to Lee first. He was being bullied by some other kids and she had chased them off with her dangerous and sharp kunai. The two eventually became friends.

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It was their second year at the academy when Neji talked to Tenten for the first time. A massive group of girls were squealing and blushing beside Neji's desk, and the fan-girls were also preventing Tenten to get to her seat. At first, Tenten asked _politely _for them to get out of the way. No one paid attention to her. Tenten asked again, though this time more forcefully. The fan-girls continued to squeal, giggle, and blush at Neji. Finally, Tenten snapped. She threw some kunai at the group and a second later, the girls had their mouths open with shock and outrage as they realized that they were pinned to the wall. Tenten was about to sit down in her seat, when Neji had looked at her with a bit of curiosity and annoyance.

"…That wasn't necessary." he had said coolly, setting his pale-lavender eyes on Tenten's amber-colored eyes. She had replied in the same tone of voice as him.

"It's for me to decide what is necessary and what isn't. Those stupid girls were blocking my way. I asked politely. They wouldn't listen. So I decided it was necessary to remove those 'obstacles' from my path." Neji's eye had twitched slightly, and everyone who had heard their conversation were gaping at Tenten. Nobody had EVER talked to Hyuuga Neji that way before. And it was a very daring move, too. After all, he was a Hyuuga. The Hyuugas were known to be cruel and merciless when angered. From that day on, Neji and Tenten ignored each other…or at least TRIED to. When one commented on something, the other would snap back with a crude and witty remark. This was how their relationship went for a while. In the academy, they were almost like rivals, but not entirely. Outside of the academy, they pretended not to know each other at all. After class ended Tenten would run off to join Lee and some other boys in a game of tag and Neji would silently walk back to the Hyuuga mansion.

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Neji, Tenten, and Lee got together for the first time in their third year at the academy, when they were 9 years old. Tenten had lost her favorite hair tie in the forest and she and Lee were desperately trying to find it. Lee was helping because she was his only friend and he felt that it was times like these when a friend needed another friend's help. The ribbon was a special gift Tenten had received from her now-dead mother, and Tenten was almost at the verge of tears when there was no sign of the red silk ribbon anywhere. Lee, who also had no luck of finding it, patted her back awkwardly with a disappointed look on his face. Then, Neji had appeared out of the bushes with leaves and small twigs caught in his long hair. He was holding something. Without a word, he had promptly walked up to Tenten and placed something in her palm. She gasped as she realized that it was her hair tie. There had been a hint of a blush on his cheeks and he had muttered something that sounded like "I found it on a forest trail." Without thinking, Tenten had happily hugged Neji, causing Lee to gape at her and Neji to blush redder. Then, Tenten had realized just WHO she was hugging and had let go quickly with a flustered face. Being the slightly naïve and innocent girl she was, Tenten at that time could not understand why Neji was blushing and why Lee seemed so down.

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Over time, the three kids formed a small friendship. It wasn't anything big or special, but it was there. Though Tenten and Lee had a stronger friendship than Neji, the three still stuck together for a while, not caring about each other's past and fears. When they were 10 years old, however, things got a little bit different. In around 2 years, the academy students were to become genin. Neji started to get somewhat distant and separated from the two for some unknown reason. He ignored Lee more than before and was careless when speaking to Tenten. It was as if he was always hesitating when speaking to his "friends". Lee and Tenten still stuck together but Tenten finally made some friends who were girls and began to spend less time with Lee. The group slowly but surely fell apart, and when Lee made a few a friends, Tenten made lots of friends, and Neji continued to be distant, the three kids' friendship shattered like broken glass.

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On the day when the academy students would become genin, which was also when Tenten, Neji, and Lee never thought to be friends again, fate just happened to decide that the three would be together once more – as teammates. Neji, Tenten, and Lee were shocked when the teacher called out team 13, which consisted of Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee. It turned out, however, that things weren't going to be much different. When their jounin instructor, Maito Gai, told them to introduce themselves, Neji mocked Lee's ultimate goal – to be a superb ninja even without ninjutsu or genjutsu. That was another scar for their already-wounded friendship.

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The team became very skilled as the days passed. They were probably the strongest team of their year. After all, the team had Neji, who was the Hyuuga genius and he was the number 1 rookie of the year, and the team also had Tenten, whose skills in weapons were rapidly increasing. Plus, she was the number 1 rookie kunoichi of the year. And there was Lee, who USED to be the drop-out, outcast, the weakling, and the idiot who couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu no matter how hard he tried. But now, because Gai-sensei was privately training him in the arts of taijutsu, Lee was able to become very strong by working hard day and night. He even challenged Neji from time to time, and always lost, but got back on his feet right after. But there was one certain day, when the sun was shining brightly and the skies were clear – Lee came to the training grounds as a different person. He was not the outcast and the idiot anymore. He was not weak, he was not a crybaby, and he was not a drop-out. He was now Rock Lee, proud green beast of Konoha…with a shiny new bowl-cut and a "dazzling" green spandex suit. On that day, Neji's remaining small amount of respect for Lee vanished. And on that day, Tenten sighed heavily and clapped her hand to her forehead as Gai and Lee hugged each other dramatically with a sunset background behind them.

Things went peacefully for a while. Eventually, Neji and Tenten got used to Lee being in his "youthful" spandex suit. But Tenten was quite surprised when Neji asked her to train with him all of a sudden. Of course she agreed, since she felt a little sorry for him – After all, there was absolutely NO WAY he would train with Lee or Gai. So Tenten reckoned that he just needed SOMEONE to train with…so he turned to her. Their first spar was slow-going and kind of awkward, since they weren't used to each other's attacks. There were cases when Neji accidentally went too hard on Tenten or accidents such as Tenten throwing a kunai too dangerously and giving Neji a big scar. But eventually they adapted to each other's skills and began to spar more naturally. And as the days passed, Neji and Tenten developed some kind of respect for each other, as teammates, sparring partners, and over time, friends.

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Neji, Tenten, and Lee were shocked and confused when Gai announced that they won't be participating in the chuunin exam. Soon, Neji was angry because he thought he deserved to enter. Tenten was confused because she thought her team was good enough. Lee was shocked because he had been confident that Gai would let their team enter.

"Your teamwork isn't good enough to survive the chuunin exam," Gai had explained to them with a strict and serious tone of voice. "The chuunin exam focuses a lot on teamwork. With our stats, you three have no chance." Then, Neji had stormed out of the forest with a scowl on his face. Lee and Tenten stayed, however, with their heads down and disappointment on their faces.

"Will we enter the next chuunin exam, Gai-sensei?" Lee asked with a bit of hope in his voice. But his face fell at Gai's grim face.

"We will see, Lee. We will see. The most important thing right now is to brush up on our skills and work on our teamwork." Gai replied with a small smile at the end. He then dismissed them, with a quick shout over his shoulder. "If either of you see Neji, please inform him of our plans. He left before our youthful discussion."

Tenten walked out of the forest deep in thought. She reflected on what Gai had said to them. About their teamwork. About their skills. Did they really lack that much? She thought that they were strong. She thought they were a pretty good team. As Tenten walked slowly through the grassy forest path, her eyes widened as she realized what they have been missing all along. She remembered their days in the academy. Tenten would always be defending and encouraging Lee. Neji would smirk at her and say witty remarks while she would also smirk and say something insulting but clever back at him. Tenten also remembered the three, how they always stuck together, how they always trained shuriken-throwing together, how they would stop by for a bowl of ramen after training, and…they were FRIENDS. And that friendship had broken. Tenten dashed through the forest as fast as she could, and the trees and bushes passed by in green blurs. Now Tenten knew what they were missing. They were missing friendship. And she also knew that it was time to restore what they had lost.

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A year later, things had changed. Neji, Tenten, and Lee had restored SOME of their friendship, improved their teamwork by going on countless C-rank missions, and had trained themselves to the point of exhaustion. With a beaming face, Gai had approved of them entering the chuunin exam. A lot of things happened in the chuunin exam that really changed everything, especially the finals. Tenten had always wondered why Neji always talked about fate and destiny. Fortunately, a rookie genin named Uzumaki Naruto had managed to beat some "sense" into the Hyuuga. Tenten and everyone else had been shocked at Neji's defeat. Well, Tenten didn't really know who Naruto was, but the rest of the people seemed almost outraged at Naruto's victory. But she felt that it wasn't her business to know why, so she decided to pay a visit to Neji, since she figured he should be awake by now.

As Tenten walked through the hospital corridors to Neji's room, she nearly bumped into Hyuuga Hiashi, whom Tenten instantly recognized as Neji's uncle and Hyuuga Hinata's father.

"Are you Neji's teammate?" Hiashi asked in a slightly strict tone.

"Um…yes." Tenten replied, staring into Hiashi's eyes. His eyes were so similar to Neji's, which kind of fascinated her for some reason. Hiashi was a little bit surprised. A normal person wouldn't dare to meet a Hyuuga's eye, but Tenten had stared into Hiashi's eye as if it was a normal routine. Hiashi then walked past her without saying a word. Tenten glanced at him, and then headed towards Neji's room again. When she opened the door to Neji's room and entered, however, Tenten was VERY surprised and puzzled when she witnessed Neji smiling. Not the usual frown or smirk, but a calm, sincere smile. Also, there was something changed about him…as if he let go of all the troubles he had.

"Neji?" Tenten said softly, closing the door behind her gently. Neji turned towards Tenten. His smile was gone, but he still had that peaceful look on his face, which made Tenten blush a tiny bit. She had NEVER seen Neji like that before. And that moment, the scene with a slightly blushing Tenten and a smiling Neji, stayed in her heart forever.

It had been a dull, cloudy day outside when Tenten stumbled upon a conversation between Lee and Tsunade in the Konoha hospital. It was a day after Tsunade had came to Konoha and became the fifth hokage.

"You should quit being a ninja and find another path in life." was what Tenten heard when she peeked through the crack of the doorway. Pity and worry for Lee washed over her. Lee's dream and goal in life was to show everyone that you can still be a superior ninja without ninjutsu or genjutsu. Lee had no talent whatsoever in ninjutsu, and he couldn't do genjutsu for some reason, no matter how hard he tried. He had relied on taijutsu all his life. But now, after the devastating fight with Gaara, he had lost his one and only hope in life. He had nothing. Tenten quickly hid behind the wall when she heard Lee approaching the doorway. She couldn't bear to face Lee after hearing the shocking news. What was she supposed to say, anyways? Nothing. She couldn't say or do anything for the time being. After she heard Lee exit the hospital, Tenten sank to the floor slowly. She was so useless in situations like these.

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When Tenten heard that Neji, Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba had gone to retrieve Sasuke, she had dropped her bag of groceries in shock. And when she heard that Lee had chased after them right after his surgery, she ran to the Konoha gates. Her two teammates and friends had gone on such an impossible-sounding mission – and she had done nothing but shop for groceries. When she reached the gates, however, she was surprised to find Sakura kneeling on the ground sobbing. Then Tenten realized something. Sure, her teammates were gone, but Sakura had a worse problem. Sakura's own TEAMMATE had gone over to the evil side, and her other teammate might as well be killed by Orochimaru's minions. But then again, Neji and Lee could also be killed, too. However, Tenten couldn't imagine how it felt to have a friend and teammate turn evil and betray the village. So Tenten turned around and slowly walked to the training area where she, Neji, and Lee usually trained together. She grabbed a kunai from her pouch and threw it at the dummy Gai had specially designed for her. The kunai whistled through the air and hit the dummy with a THUD sound. She would become stronger too. After all, she couldn't be left behind forever.

When the news came that Naruto, Neji, Kiba, Chouji, and Shikamaru returned, the first thing Tenten did was dash to the hospital. She ran into the building just in time to hear Shizune's voice ringing through the hall.

"Though his wounds were near-fatal, Hyuuga Neji…is stable! And the medic nins said that Rock Lee has regained consciousness!" Tenten couldn't help but collapse to the floor on her knees as tears of relief started to blur her vision. After hastily wiping away her tears before they could fall, Tenten got up decided to go to Lee's room first. The two hadn't talked to each other in a while, after all. She knocked gently on Lee's hospital room, and she heard a muffled reply from the other side of the door. Tenten entered the room, and found Lee staring out the window. There was a single flower on the table next to his bed. Tenten frowned when she saw the flower. She had been in such a hurry that she didn't even get to think about flowers. Lee turned to Tenten with a smile.

"Oh, hi Tenten. I guess you heard the news." he said, and though he was trying his best to look lighthearted, Tenten noticed pain his eyes, including guilt and regret. His smile drooped when Tenten didn't answer. "Tenten? Are you okay?" Tenten quickly raised her head.

"Oh, um…nothing. I'm just glad you and Neji are safe. I was REALLY worried, you know." she said, but she spoke a little bit too fast. The two friends and teammates looked down, doing nothing to break the uncomfortable silence between them. "…Why did you go after them, Lee? You know you could have died…And you went right after your surgery…" Tenten asked, her voice just barely above a whisper. Lee looked up at the ceiling.

"I don't know…But when Shikamaru asked Neji to come with them to the mission, I felt completely helpless. Neji was going on a seemingly-impossible mission and there I was, standing there like a useless idiot. I thought that as long as I could help, even just a little boost, I'd feel better. But now…I feel nothing but failure. I have done nothing except get my life saved by Gaara…And our mission was a failure. We failed to bring Sasuke back. I went and risked my life…for nothing." By now, Lee was shaking and his eyes were covered by his bangs. Tenten didn't say anything. She walked over to Lee and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Lee," she said softly, a small smile on her face. "You DID do something. You showed determination and courage, also loyalty, to everyone. You showed that you didn't want to get left behind so you prepared to fight to the death. That's what matters, Lee. And as your friend, I probably know better than anyone else about your determination. So cheer up, okay?" Lee's eyes watered and he started to sniff pitifully.

"Tenten…(sniff) you always know how to cheer me up…(sniff) Like you did when we were still at the academy…(sniff)" Lee said between loud sniffs. Tenten sighed and playfully smacked Lee across the head.

"And your mind is always in the gutter. I'm going to go check up on Neji, okay?" she said brightly, and walked out of the room. But before she did, she stopped at the doorway. "I'm going to do my best too, Lee. Next time…you, me, and Neji…will go on a mission together!" she said, and turned around to give Lee a small grin. Lee gave her his "nice-guy" pose.

"Okay!" he replied, and Tenten stepped out of the room, a new glow of determination in her heart.

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The sun shone brightly in the sky. Birds chirped as they flew past trees, and a cool breeze blew through the air. In the usual training area of team Gai, different sounds were heard. "THUNK"s were heard through the forest clearing as many kinds of sharp metal objects hit the center of a practice dummy. "THUD"s were heard as countless kicks and punches hit the hard wood of a log. Soft mutters were heard as a green-clad figure attempted to count how many kicks and punches hit.

"…491…492…493…494…495…496…497…498…499…" Lee muttered as a few beads of sweat ran down his cheek. Meanwhile, in an area next to him, Tenten threw countless numbers of all kinds of weapons at numerous practice dummies. Shuriken, kunai, senbon, hand-axes, sickles, maces, knives, daggers, small swords, darts, and many other kinds flew through the air, and always landed dead-center on the dummies. Tenten sighed and wiped her brow quickly. She had been practicing for an hour or so, and the afternoon sun was getting pretty hot.

"Lee! Are you done yet?" Tenten called to the sweat-dripping green figure nearby.

"Almost…DONE!" Lee replied, and dropped to the ground with a sigh. Suddenly, something flew towards the spandex-wearing chuunin and Lee caught it by instinct. He smiled as he looked at the water bottle in his hands and waved his thanks to Tenten, who just grinned. She tossed one to Neji, who caught it calmly and began to drink. Tenten began to drink her own water bottle. Suddenly, their jounin teacher Gai walked into the area.

"Hello, my beloved former-students! I suppose you're doing well?" he boomed, laughing heartily. Lee got up and saluted him with admiration shining in his eyes.

"YES, GAI-SENSEI. WE'RE DOING WELL!" he shouted, and Gai beamed.

"KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK, MY FORMER-STUDENTS! THE YOUTH OF OUR TEAM SHALL NOT BURN!" he said, also shouting.

"YES, GAI-SENSEI! WE WILL DO OUR BEST!" Lee replied, just as loud. Tenten clasped a gloved-hand to her forehead and sighed, while Neji shook his head.

"No matter how many years pass by, they'll always be the same…" Tenten muttered. She and Neji looked up when Gai cleared his throat.

"Listen up, my youthful former-students. I know that we haven't been together lately, with Neji's jounin duties as well as mine, and Tenten and Lee's frequent missions out of town. BUT! We will make up for all the lost bonding time and go to…the hot springs! I'm paying for it!" he said with a nice-guy pose at the end. He had expected his students to jump in joy, smile, or even cry with happiness, but instead…Tenten sighed.

"I don't think I want to go…Plus, I was going to help my dad forge some weapons." She muttered, turning away quickly. Neji kept his cool exterior except for a slight twitch in his eyebrow.

"I'll pass." He stated promptly and also turned away.

"I WANT TO GO! Come on, Neji! Tenten! It'll be fun! It won't be the same without you two!" Lee practically screamed, and began to beg Neji and Tenten on his knees. Neji and Tenten looked at each other, and Lee raised his head in delight when he thought they were going to agree. But his face fell and he started to bawl again when one answer was given.

"No." the two saner ninjas of team Gai said clearly, and began to walk out of the area. But they stopped in their tracks when Lee threw himself at their ankles and held on to their legs as if his life depended on it.

"PLEASE! NEJI! TENTEN!" Lee pleaded, trying to do a "puppy-dog" face but failing. Neji and Tenten both sighed heavily.

"He's not going to leave us alone until we say yes." Tenten muttered, massaging her temples in annoyance.

"I guess so…" Neji muttered back, crossing his arms.

"I guess we could go…like, what can happen in the hot springs?" Tenten said brightly, and Neji sighed.

"Alright," He replied with a heavy heart. "But I just KNOW I'm going to regret this…" Tenten nodded in agreement. She turned to Lee.

"Okay Lee, we'll go." She said, and Lee looked as if heaven came to earth.

"YES! GAI-SENSEI, WE'RE COMING!" Lee yelled and struck a pose. Gai also struck a pose.

"ALRIGHT, MY YOUTHFUL FORMER-STUDENTS! GO HOME AND PACK, AND MEET AT THE KONOHA HOT SPRINGS IN AN HOUR!" he declared, and he and Lee ran out of the forest laughing joyfully.

'…_we're seriously going to regret this.'_ Neji and Tenten thought at the same time and headed in opposite directions to their homes.

Tenten arrived at the hot springs with a small sports bag slung onto her shoulder. The bag just had some extra weapons, a shampoo bottle, body soap, extra hair ties, and other things that aren't really worth mentioning…including undergarments. AHEM. Yeah. Neji was already there with a leather sack on his back (that rhymes). Finally, Gai and Lee appeared, both carrying massive suitcases.

"Hey, what's with the suitcases? We're only staying for one night!" Tenten asked, sweat-dropping at the large bags.

"Ah, we always need to be prepared! Plus, we have a few surprises!" Gai said, grinning mischievously. Lee's eyes watered.

"Oh Gai-sensei, you're so cool!" he praised, and the two spandex-wearing ninjas hugged once more. Neji was getting slightly impatient.

"Can we go in now?" he snapped, and Gai nodded. The team went inside and was greeted by a plump woman in her fifties. She showed them to their rooms and indicated where the game arcade, table-tennis area, the spa, and the hot springs were. Neji, Tenten, and Lee were sharing a room but each person was separated by a long, draping curtain. Tenten was in the middle while Neji was on her right and Lee on her left. Gai had a room to himself next door.

"My former-students, we shall go to the hot springs now!" Gai declared, and Lee skipped along happily while Tenten and Neji practically dragged their feet to the changing room. Lee, Neji, and Gai entered the door to the hot springs while Tenten froze and looked up at the sign above the wooden bamboo door. It said 'All Genders'. She felt a bit fidgety. She would probably die and go to hell if she saw Gai or Lee's bare chest but if she saw Neji's…her innocent mind would be scarred repeatedly with nasty thoughts. And plus, she was a girl. No girl would feel comfortable with three half-naked men. Lee turned around when he saw that Tenten wasn't coming.

"Come on Tenten!" he called, and Tenten nodded quickly. She went into the girls' changing room and later came out with a white towel firmly draped around her body. Her hair was up in a single bun with a few strands hanging out.

'_Here I go…' _she thought and suppressed a blush as she slowly stepped out into the hot springs.

Meanwhile, Gai, Neji, and Lee were relaxing in the warm waters of the springs. Neji had his hair untied and his long brown locks of hair floated in the water around him. He was currently meditating and found that the soothing waters helped him concentrate better. Lee was quiet and relaxed for once and sighed blissfully as he sank neck-deep into the steaming water.

"Ah…it's a good thing we came here, huh?" Gai said, leaning his head against one of the moist boulders that lined the springs. Suddenly, they heard light footsteps coming towards the springs.

"Tenten, is that you? Come quickly!" Lee called, and Tenten stepped out of the rising mist that surrounded the waters. According to Neji and Lee, a "goddess" entered the water. Perfect curves, slightly rosy cheeks, smooth, flawless skin, long slender legs, and gentle chestnut-brown tresses that framed her pretty face. Lee gaped wordlessly and Neji just stared. Tenten shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, and tightened the towel around her. Meanwhile, Gai witnessed this with a sly smile.

"OH NO, I'm getting dizzy…I'm going to go to the bathroom, alright?" Gai said suddenly, and hurried out of the springs with a small snicker when he was out of the three teenagers' sight. In the springs, Tenten sighed softly. The water was good and all, but it was hard to relax when two teenage boys were staring at you wordlessly. After a while, Tenten started to twitch a little bit.

"Would you two stop staring at me like fish? It's getting on my nerves!" Tenten said through gritted teeth. Neji and Lee snapped out of their daze, causing Lee to nearly loose his footing on the rocky bottom of the springs and Neji to flinch a little.

"TENTEN! YOUR BEAUTY RADIATES LIKE THE MOON TONIGHT!" Lee yelled, making Tenten sweat-drop.

"Uh…okay…" she said uncertainly. Neji stayed silent. The three continued to relax in the warm waters. Tenten looked up and watched as the steam rose from the water and up into the air. She recalled the three of them; Lee, Neji, and Tenten; together in the academy. When Lee would be bullied by some kids, Tenten would chase them off furiously, and then Neji would arrive to see a triumphant Tenten as she helped Lee stand up. Then she would start plotting clever and devious schemes to get back at the bullies, and Neji would tag along to make sure she and Lee didn't get into serious trouble. It was always like that…and then it all had to change. But now, Tenten felt that some of their friendship had returned. When they were still genin, Lee would challenge Neji to a light spar in the morning, and Tenten would watch to make sure they didn't go too far and tended to any large wounds while Lee and Neji would bandage up their little wounds. Then Tenten would start throwing weapons at a dummy and Lee would kick a log. Neji would meditate or practice his byakugan. Then, after they ate lunch, Neji would ask Tenten to train with him and Lee would train with Gai. If they still had time afterwards, the three would go to a restaurant or something and eat there together. It was almost like a daily ritual. Nowadays, with Neji as a jounin, Lee a chuunin, and Tenten preparing to enter the jounin exams, it wasn't quite the same. But it was similar. Neji would still train with Tenten, and Lee would still train with Gai. At least they still regarded each other as teammates.

Tenten was brought back to reality when Lee started to sing a ridiculous-sounding song, which happened to be "Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars". Tenten winced at his highly off-tune voice and Neji's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"Lee, why do you have to start acting so ridiculous when we finally have peace?" Neji muttered, and the vein on his temples started to twitch when Lee casually slung an arm around his shoulder.

"C'mon, cheer up, Neji! You need to…lighten up once in a while!" Lee said loudly, swaying a bit. Tenten was REALLY confused. What was wrong with Lee all of a sudden? She noticed his red face and the steam rising from the water around him.

"Oh great, all this steam and warmness must be getting to his head!" Tenten groaned, and went over to Lee. "Lee, snap out of it!" But Lee didn't reply. He looked dazed, and eye started to get all swirly.

"Uhh? Uhh…uhh? What's wrong with me…I feel…quite…dizzy…" Lee said, and he pitched forward. Tenten, who made a move to stop him, gasped as Lee slipped on the bottom of the springs and as his face came closer…and closer…and closer…Suddenly, Tenten found Lee's lips on hers. Everything was silent. Then, a few things happened at once. Tenten's face turned bright red out of embarrassment and fury, while Neji's face turned an angry shade of red because, for some reason, a huge amount of jealousy started to bubble up inside of him. And he didn't know why. Tenten finally regained her senses and clenched her fists in anger.

"Lee! You…you STOLE MY FIRST KISS, DAMMIT!" Tenten hollered, and soon Lee was punched by a red-faced, furious Tenten. He went crashing to the other side of the springs and was completely knocked unconscious. Tenten huffed, her face still red. Neji had an urge to just strangle Lee on the spot, but he was still trying to find out WHY he felt such emotions. Neji looked at Tenten when he noticed that she was shaking and her bangs were covering her eyes.

"Tenten?" Neji asked cautiously, and took a step towards her. But he found himself falling as he tripped…over Lee's limp legs. Tenten looked up just in time to see Neji's lips coming closer to hers…and soon, they were kissing. Both were frozen in shock. Neji's face was red and he was blushing VERY heavily (which was very out-of-character for him) and Tenten's face was even redder…though she couldn't help but enjoy the kiss a little. They broke apart slowly, and amber-colored eyes met pale-lavender ones.

"GAHHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! I'M LEAVING!" Tenten half-screamed, half-wailed, and ran out of the hot springs with a flaming face. As for Neji, he just stood there, mouth gaping open like a fish. And Lee, well, let's just say that he had a particularly large bump on his head after Tenten's "devastating" punch.

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_Tenten opened her eyes. The night sky was dark and many stars shimmered like jewels. She smiled as she spotted Lee, whom was currently snoring away on the soft grass near her. She sat up and picked up her ANBU mask, which had been resting on the small patch of clovers beside her. She looked around and saw a distant figure standing beside an oak tree a couple of meters away. Tenten stood up and walked over to the figure. The person was a tall man the same age as her._

"_Neji," she said softly. The man, who was Neji, lifted his ANBU mask up, revealing his handsome face and his pale-lavender eyes._

"_Tenten," he said, acknowledging her with a nod. "What are you doing up so late?"_

"_That's what I should be asking you, Hyuuga Neji." Tenten said playfully and Neji just smirked. Tenten leaned against the slightly rough bark of the oak tree. Fireflies and other glowing insects flew and chirped around them. "I had a dream," Tenten said suddenly, and Neji glanced at her for a moment before turning away again._

"_What dream?" he asked. Tenten smiled at the memory._

"_It was a dream about us…About how you, Lee, and I met." She replied, fingering slightly with the clasp of her ANBU mask._

"_Oh…" Neji said._

"_I also dreamed about what happened 3 years ago…remember? The hot spring incident?" Tenten added. Neji had a faraway look in his eyes as he stared out into the open._

"_Yeah…I remember…" he replied with a slight hint of emotion in his voice._

"_You and Lee stole my first kiss." Tenten said with a little pout at the end. Neji scoffed._

"_That wasn't my fault. I told you countless times ever since then." He said dryly, and it was now Tenten's turn to scoff._

"_Hmph. And remember when I wouldn't talk to you or Lee after that for a week? Our teamwork was so screwed." She stated, also dryly. The two stayed silent for a while, with only the sounds of crickets and grasshoppers chirping and clicking around them. "Our team went through a lot…If you look back, I'm surprised we're still friends." Tenten said after a while, and Neji nodded. Suddenly, Tenten bent down and plucked something off the ground. "Look Neji, it's a freesia! They're rare to see in this area." Neji looked at the flower and a tiny smile formed on his lips._

"_The flower of friendship and trust…It describes our team well." He said with a bit of softness in his voice. Lee suddenly popped out of nowhere, slightly startling Neji and Tenten._

"_Hello, my fellow teammates! What a fine night!" Lee greeted, shifting a jounin vest a little bit. He spotted the freesia in Tenten's hand and gasped. "A freesia! What a youthful flower to describe our youthful friendship!" Tenten rolled her eyes and Neji rubbed his temples. No matter how many years passed since they were genin, some people would never change. Suddenly, the three ninjas heard voices calling them._

"_I guess we'd better go!" Lee exclaimed, and pranced off._

"_Yeah. We have a mission to finish." Tenten said, and set her mask onto her face. Neji also placed his mask on. Neji, Tenten, and Lee. Team 13. They charged out onto the battlefield with merciless determination in their hearts. S words clashed and blood was spilt, but throughout the battle, none of the three ninjas lost faith. Perhaps it was because their trust and friendship for one another supported their strength greatly. The freesia lay on the grass through the fight, not even getting damaged or ripped into shreds. That was the symbol of team 13's friendship – as long as they were together, they would be strong._

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So…how was it? I wasn't completely sure about this one – I deleted a few paragraphs, proof-read it twice, and made some changes, but I still wasn't satisfied. It didn't quite come out the way I expected it to. I just recently joined a Team Gai fanlisting, and I was inspired to write one about them. I also joined a Neji+Tenten fanlisting a few weeks ago. In the fanlistings, my name is **harukakanatanejiten**. I WAS going to put my name as "harukakanata", but two other people already had that name, so I had to choose something else. PLEASE REVIEW! Oh, and I received a couple of reviews and LOTS of e-mails on what "Coming Soon" fics I should do. It has been decided: I'm doing the fic "**Chained Destiny**". And for those who asked, I'll EVENTUALLY do all of the fics I mentioned. But for now, I'm going to start one fic, see how it goes, and consider doing another one. Expect to see the first chapter of Chained Destiny by next week; I have a violin concert coming up (yes, I play the violin. I must admit though; I'm not one for classical music.), so I'm really busy these days.


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